LINES AND PLANES IN

SPACE

MATH23
MULTIVARIABLE CALCULUS
 Week 2 Day 2
GENERAL
OBJECTIVE

At the end of the lesson the students are

expected to:
 Find equation of lines using various methods.
 Determine an equations of a plane and determine the
vector of its normal
 Lines Determined by a Point
and a Vector
(Vector Equation of a Line)

Line Segment
Are portions of a straight line with given boundaries or endpoints.
Lines Determined by a Point and a
Vector
Example:
Let L1 and L2 be defined as
L1 : x = 1 + 4t ; y = 5 – 4t ; z = -1 + 5t
L2 : x = 2 + 8t ; y = 4 – 3t ; z = 5 + t
(a) are the lines parallel?
(b) do the lines intersect?
(a) Find the parametric equations of the line L
passing through the point P1(2,4,-1) and P2(5,0,7)

(b) Find the symmetric equation of line L.

(c) Where does the line intersect the xy-plane?

 Vector Equations of Lines

Let v be a nonzero vector parallel to a given line

and ro is a vector whose components are the
coordinates of a point on the line.
Then the vector equation of a line r is

r = r0 + tv , -∞ < t < ∞

which passes through r0 and parallel to v.

 Vector Equations of Lines

(1) Find a vector equation of the line passing through (-1,0,2) and
parallel to the vector < 1,5,-4 >, also find two other points on the
line .
(b) Find the equation of the line in space passing through
P1(2,4,-1) and P2(5,0,7).
 Lines Determined by a Point and a
Vector
Parametric Form

x  x0  at y  y0  bt z  z0  bt

Symmetric Form
x  x0 y  y0 z  z0
 
a b c

Vector Form

r  r0  vt  x, y, z  x0 , y0 , z0  t  a, b, c 
 Equations of Lines:
a.) Find equations of the line that passes through (-2,1)
and (1,3).
b.) Find the parametric and symmetric equations of the line
passing through the point (2, 3, -4) and parallel to the
vector, <-1, 2, 5>.
c.) Find the parametric and symmetric equations of the line
passing through the points (1, 2, -2) and (3, -2, 5).
d.) Determine if the lines are parallel or identical.
Line 1 : x = 3 + t Line 2 : x = 5 – 2t
y = 2 – 2t y = -2 + 4t
z=4+t z = 1 – 2t
e. Show that the lines L1 : x + 1 = 4t, y – 3 = 4t, z – 1 = 0 and
L2 : x + 13 = 12t, y – 1 = 6t, z – 2 = 3t intersect, and find their
point of intersection.
f. Show that the lines L 1: x = 2 + 8t, y = 6 – 8t, z = 10t and
L2 : x = 3 + 8t, y = 5 – 3t, z = 6 + t are skew lines.
g. Determine whether the lines L 1: x = 5 + 3t, y = 4 – 2t,
z = -2 + 3t and L2 : x = -1 + 9t, y = 5 – 6t, z = 3 + 8t are
parallel.
h. Show that the lines L1 : x = 1 + 3t, y = -2 + t, z = 2t and L2 :
x = 4 – 6t, y = -1 – 2t, z = 2 - 4t are the same.
i. Determine whether the points P1 (1, 0, 1), P2 (3, -4, -3), and
P3 (4, -6, -5) lie on the same line.
j. Describe the line segment represented by the vector
equation <x, y, z> = <-2, 1, 4> + t <3, 0, -1> (0 ≤ t ≤ 3)
 PLANES

STANDARD EQUATION: Ax + By + Cz + D = 0

a) x = k, plane parallel to yz-plane

b) y = k, plane parallel to xz-plane
c) z = k, plane parallel to xy-plane
d) Ax + By + D = 0, plane parallel to z-axis
e) By + Cz + D = 0, plane parallel to x-axis
f) Ax + Cz + D = 0, plane parallel to y-axis
g) Ax + By + Cz = 0, plane
EXAMPLE:
1. x = 3 2. y = 3

z z

y  y


x x
 3. z = 3
4. 2x + 3y =
12
z z


(0, 4, 0)
y  y

(6, 0, 0)
x x
 5. 2x + 3z = 12 6. 2y + 3z =
12
z z

(0, 0, 4)

(0, 0, 4)

(0, 6, 0)
y  y

(6, 0, 0)
x x
 6. 2x + 3y + 4z =
12 z

(0, 0, 3)

(0, 4, 0)
 y


(6, 0, 0)
x
Planes in Space
1. Find an equation of the plane passing through the point
(3,-1,7) and perpendicular to the vector n =<4,2, -5>.

2. Find an equation of the plane passing through the point

(2,4,-1) and perpendicular to the vector n = <2,3,4 >.
Find the intercepts and sketch the graph.

3. Find the general equation of the plane containing the

points (2,1,1), (0,4,1) and (-2,1,4).

4. Find an equation for the plane through the three points

P(2,4,-3), Q(3,7,-1) and R(4,3,0).
Planes in Space
 Example

1.Determine whether the planes 3x – 4y + 5z = 0

and -6x + 8y – 10z – 4 = 0 are parallel.

2. Determine whether the line x = 3 + 8t ; y = 4 + 5t ; z = -3 –t

is parallel to the plane , x – 3y + 5z = 12.

3. Find the point at which the line with parametric equations

x=2+3t, y=-4t, z=5+t , intersects the plane 4x+5y-2z=18.

4. Find the angle between the two planes given by x-2y+z=0

and 2x+3y-2z=0 and find parametric equation for their line of
intersection.
5. Find an equation of the plane that passes through the
point P (-1, -1, 2) has the vector n = <-1, 7, 6> as a
normal.

6. Find an equation of the plane that passes through

the points (3, 2, 1), (2, 1, -1), and (-1, 3, 2).

7. Find the acute angle of intersection of the planes x

+2y – 2z = 5 and 6x – 3y + 2z = 8.

8. Find parametric equations of the line of intersection

of the planes 3x – 5y + 2z = 0 and z = 0.
14. Determine whether the planes
a) 3x -2y + z = 4 and 6x – 4y + 3z = 7.
b) y = 4x – 2z + 3 and x = ¼ y + ½ z.
c) x + 4y + 7z = 3 and 5x – 3y + z = 0
are parallel, perpendicular, or neither.

16. Determine whether the line and plane

a)x = 3 – t , y = 2 + t, z = 1 – 3t and 2x + 2y – 5 = 0.
b) x = 1 – 2t, y = t, z = -t and 6x – 3y + 3z = 1.
c) x = t, y = 1 – t, z = 2 + t and x + y + z = 1.
are parallel, perpendicular, or neither.

18. Determine whether the line and plane

a)x = 3t, y = 5t, z = -t and 2x – y + z + 1 = 0.
b)x = 1 + t, y = -1 + 3t, z = 2 + 4t and x – y + 4z = 7
Intersect.
Find an equation of the plane that satisfies the stated
conditions.
1. The plane that contains the line x = -2 + 3t, y = 4 + 2t,
z = 3 – t and is perpendicular to the plane x – 2y + z = 5.
2. The plane through (-1, 4, -3) that is perpendicular to the
line x – 2 = t, , y + 3 = 2t, z = -t.
3. The plane through the points P 1(-2, 1, 4) and P2 (1, 0, 3)
that is perpendicular to the plane 4x – y + 3z = 2.
4. The plane that contains the point (2, 0, 3) and the line x
= -1 + t, y = t, z = -4 + 2t.
5. The plane that contains the line x = 3t, y = 1 + t, z = 2t and
is parallel to the intersection of the planes y + z = - 1 and
2x – y + z = 0.
Plane in Space
Distance Problems Involving Planes
a) Point and a Plane
b) Two Parallel Planes
c) Two Skew Lines
Distance from a point to a plane
1. Find the distance between the point (1,-4,-3)
and the plane 2x – 3y + 6z = -1.

2. Find the distance between the parallel planes

-2x + y + z = 1 and 6x – 3y – 3z – 5 = 0.

3. Find the distance between Q(1,2,3) and 2x – y + z = 4

4. Find the distance between the point P (0, 1, 5) and the plane
3x + 6y – 2z – 5 = 0.

5. Find the distance between the parallel planes

x + y + z = 1 and x + y + z = -1.

6. Find the distance between the skew lines

L1 : x = 3 – t, y = 4 + 4t, z = 1 + 2t & L2 : x = t, y = 3, z = 2t.
1) Find the angle between two planes given by 3x + 2y –   z = 7 ;
x -  4y + 2z = 0 and find parametric equations for their line of
intersection.
2) Find the line of intersection for the planes x + 3y + 4z = 0 and
x – 3y +2z = 0.
3) Find intersection of planes given by x + y + z + 1 = 0 and x + 2y
+ 3z + 4 = 0.
4) Find the distance between the point Q (3, 1, -5) to the plane 4x
+ 2y – z = 8.
5) Find intersection of planes given by x + y + z + 1 = 0 and x + 2y
+ 3z + 4 = 0.
 CLASSWORK
Find an equation of the plane that satisfies the stated conditions.
1. The plane that contains the line x = -2 + 3t, y = 4 + 2t,
z = 3 – t and is perpendicular to the plane x – 2y + z = 5.
2. The plane through the points P 1(-2, 1, 4) and P2 (1, 0, 3) that is
perpendicular to the plane 4x – y + 3z = 2.
3. Find the angle between two planes given by 3x + 2y –   z = 7 ; x - 
4y + 2z = 0 and find parametric equations for their line of intersection.
4. Find the line of intersection for the planes x + 3y + 4z = 0 and x –
3y +2z = 0.
5. Find the distance between the point Q (3, 1, -5) to the plane 4x +
2y – z = 8.
6. Find the distance between 2 parallel planes given by 3x-y+2z-6=0
and 6x-2y+4z+4=0.
7. Find the distance bet. Two skew lines; x=y/2=z/3 and (x-1)/-1=y-
4= z+1