Chapter 13: Problem 17
Find the point on the plane \(x+2 y+3 z=13\) closest to the point (1,1,1)
Short Answer
Expert verified
The point is (2, 3, 0).
Step by step solution
01
Understand the Problem
We want to find a point on the plane defined by the equation \(x+2y+3z=13\) that is closest to the given point \((1,1,1)\). This involves minimizing the distance between a point \((x, y, z)\) on the plane and \((1, 1, 1)\).
02
Set up the Distance Function
The distance \(d\) between a point \((x, y, z)\) and \((1, 1, 1)\) is given by the formula: \[ d = \sqrt{(x - 1)^2 + (y - 1)^2 + (z - 1)^2} \] Since minimizing \(d\) is equivalent to minimizing \(d^2\), we focus on the function \[ f(x, y, z) = (x - 1)^2 + (y - 1)^2 + (z - 1)^2 \].
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Distance Minimization
When dealing with problems involving geometry and optimization, **distance minimization** is a crucial concept. It often involves finding the smallest distance between points and lines, planes, or surfaces. In our scenario, the problem is to minimize the distance between a point on a specific plane and a fixed point in space. Considering that the traditional distance formula is derived from the Pythagorean theorem, we get:
- The distance between two points \( (x, y, z) \) and \( (x_0, y_0, z_0) \) is \( d = \sqrt{(x-x_0)^2 + (y-y_0)^2 + (z-z_0)^2} \).
- Minimize \( f(x, y, z) = (x-1)^2 + (y-1)^2 + (z-1)^2 \).
Plane Equation
The **plane equation** is fundamental when examining linear surfaces in three-dimensional space. A basic plane equation takes the form \( ax + by + cz = d \). In our problem, the plane is described by the equation:
- \( x + 2y + 3z = 13 \).
- Each \(x, y, z\) coordinate must satisfy the equation condition.
- This function represents a relationship between the variables, depicting how each changes relative to the others while still lying on the plane.
Gradient Descent
**Gradient descent** is a popular optimization technique used to minimize functions, commonly seen in machine learning and calculus. In the context of finding the point on a plane closest to another point, gradient descent helps in:
- Iteratively adjusting the coordinates of the point on the plane to minimize the distance to the target point.
- It uses the derivative or gradient of the function, guiding movement steps towards points of lower function values.
- Calculate the gradient \( abla f = (2(x-1), 2(y-1), 2(z-1)) \).
- Move in the opposite direction of the gradient to decrease the function value.
- The iterative updates usually look like \( x_{new} = x - \alpha abla f_x \) for a small step size \( \alpha \).
Calculus
**Calculus** forms the backbone of concepts like optimization and distance minimization, providing the tools necessary to handle changes and trends in functions. In this context, calculus aids in:
- Calculating derivatives and gradients needed to implement methods like gradient descent.
- Using these calculations to follow paths towards minimal values of a function.
- Finding partial derivatives of \( f(x, y, z) = (x - 1)^2 + (y - 1)^2 + (z - 1)^2 \) gives insights into optimizing the position on the plane.
- See how \( abla f \) translates into a direction pointing towards lower values.