Chapter 1: Problem 24
Find the distance between parallel planes \(5 x-2 y+z=6\) and \(5 x-2 y+z=-3\).
Short Answer
Expert verified
The distance between the planes is \(\frac{3 \sqrt{30}}{10}\).
Step by step solution
01
Identify Plane Equations
The two parallel planes are given by the equations:Plane 1: (Equation 1) \(5x - 2y + z = 6\)Plane 2: (Equation 2) \(5x - 2y + z = -3\).
02
Confirm Parallelism
Check if the normal vectors of the planes are the same, which confirms that the planes are parallel. The normal vector for both planes is \( \vec{n} = \langle 5, -2, 1 \rangle \), confirming that they are parallel.
03
Use the Distance Formula Between Parallel Planes
The formula to find the distance \(d\) between two parallel planes \(Ax + By + Cz = D_1\) and \(Ax + By + Cz = D_2\) is given by:\[ d = \frac{|D_1 - D_2|}{\sqrt{A^2 + B^2 + C^2}} \].
04
Substitute Values Into Distance Formula
Substitute the given values:- \(D_1 = 6\) and \(D_2 = -3\),- The coefficients \(A = 5\), \(B = -2\), \(C = 1\) from the normal vector.The distance \(d\) can be calculated as:\[ d = \frac{|6 - (-3)|}{\sqrt{5^2 + (-2)^2 + 1^2}} \].
05
Simplify the Calculations
Calculate the numerator:\(|6 - (-3)| = |6 + 3| = 9\).Calculate the denominator:\(\sqrt{5^2 + (-2)^2 + 1^2} = \sqrt{25 + 4 + 1} = \sqrt{30}\).Thus, the distance \(d\):\[ d = \frac{9}{\sqrt{30}} \].
06
Final Calculation
Simplify \(\frac{9}{\sqrt{30}}\) by multiplying the numerator and denominator by \(\sqrt{30}\) to rationalize the denominator:\[ d = \frac{9 \times \sqrt{30}}{30} = \frac{3 \sqrt{30}}{10} \].
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Normal Vectors
In geometry, the normal vector is a critical concept when dealing with planes. It essentially determines the direction of the plane in a three-dimensional space. For a plane defined by the equation \(Ax + By + Cz = D\), the normal vector is given by the coefficients of \(x\), \(y\), and \(z\), or \(\vec{n} = \langle A, B, C \rangle\).
For example, in our given plane equations \(5x - 2y + z = 6\) and \(5x - 2y + z = -3\), the normal vector \(\vec{n} = \langle 5, -2, 1 \rangle\) is derived from these coefficients.
Understanding normal vectors is essential because:
For example, in our given plane equations \(5x - 2y + z = 6\) and \(5x - 2y + z = -3\), the normal vector \(\vec{n} = \langle 5, -2, 1 \rangle\) is derived from these coefficients.
Understanding normal vectors is essential because:
- They provide the direction that a plane is "facing."
- Two planes are parallel if and only if their normal vectors are parallel. This means the vectors are scalar multiples of each other.
- If the normal vectors of two planes are identical, like in this problem, they are exactly parallel.
Parallel Planes
Parallel planes are planes that never intersect. They maintain a constant distance apart forever. This is similar to parallel lines in two dimensions but extended into three dimensions.
For instance, our provided planes \(5x - 2y + z = 6\) and \(5x - 2y + z = -3\) are parallel since their normal vectors are the same.
Key points to remember about parallel planes include:
For instance, our provided planes \(5x - 2y + z = 6\) and \(5x - 2y + z = -3\) are parallel since their normal vectors are the same.
Key points to remember about parallel planes include:
- Identical normal vectors assure the planes are parallel.
- The concept is reliant on the orientations dictated by the normal vectors.
- If their normal vectors are not scalar multiples of each other, the planes will eventually intersect.
- Parallel planes can have different constant values (the \(D\) in \(Ax + By + Cz = D\)), indicating their distance from the origin.
Distance Formula
To find the distance between two parallel planes, we utilize a specific distance formula. For parallel planes defined by \(Ax + By + Cz = D_1\) and \(Ax + By + Cz = D_2\), the formula is:\[d = \frac{|D_1 - D_2|}{\sqrt{A^2 + B^2 + C^2}}\]
This formula calculates the perpendicular distance between these planes.
In our example:
This formula calculates the perpendicular distance between these planes.
In our example:
- We have \(D_1 = 6\) and \(D_2 = -3\).
- The coefficients from the normal vector \(\vec{n} = \langle 5, -2, 1 \rangle\): \(A = 5\), \(B = -2\), \(C = 1\).