Revision Notes

Class 12 - Maths
Chapter 11 – Three Dimensional Geometry

1. Direction Cosines and Direction Ratios

(i) Consider a line OP passing through origin.

The angles the line OP makes with the x, y and z axes be ,  and  .
Then, cos ,cos  and cos  are the direction cosines of the line OP.
They are represented as:
l = cos ,m = cos ,n = cos

(ii) For lines not passing through the origin, the direction cosines are found
using the direction ratios.
Consider line AB. Now draw line parallel to line AB passing through
origin, i.e., OP.
Two parallel lines have the same direction cosines.

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 So, a,b,c will be proportional to the l,m,n then a,b,c are the Direction
Ratios of the line, such that
a = kl,b = km,c = kn

(iii) If a,b,c are direction ratio of any line, then the vector parallel to this
line will be aiˆ + bjˆ + ckˆ .

(iv) If l,m,n are direction cosines of any line, then the unit vector parallel
to this line will be liˆ + mjˆ + nkˆ .

2. Relation between the direction cosines and direction ratios of a line

(i) If l,m,n are direction cosines of a line, then
l2 + m2 + n 2 = 1

(ii) If l,m,n are direction cosines and a,b,c are direction ratios of a vector,
then
a b c
l= 2 ,m =  ,n = 
a + b2 + c2 a 2 + b2 + c2 a 2 + b2 + c2

3. Direction cosines and Direction ratios of a line passing through two points
(i) Let two points be A and B such that their coordinates are ( x1 , y1 ,z1 )
and (x 2
, y 2 ,z 2 ) respectively. Then the direction cosines of a line
passing through AB are:
x − x1 y − y1 z −z
l= 2 ,m = 2 ,n = 2 1
AB AB AB

Where AB = (x − x1 ) + ( y 2 − y1 ) + ( z 2 − z1 )
2 2 2
2

And the direction ratios of the line AB are:

a = x 2 − x1 ,b = y 2 − y1 ,c = z 2 − z1

4. Equation of a line in space

(i) Equation of line through a given point and parallel to a vector:

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 The vector equation of line passing through point A with position vector
a and parallel to vector b is given by:
r = a + b
The Cartesian equation of line passing through point A (x1 , y1 ,z1 ) with
direction ratios a,b,c is given by:
x − x1 y − y1 z − z1
, , =r
a b c
The general point on this line will be given by: ( x1 + ar, y1 + br,z1 + cr )

(ii) Equation of line through a two given points:

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 The vector equation of line passing through point A with position vector
a and point B with position vector b is given by:
r =a + b−a ( )
The Cartesian equation of line passing through point A (x1 , y1 ,z1 ) and
B (x 2 , y 2 ,z 2 ) is given by:
x − x1 y − y1 z − z1
= =
x 2 − x1 y 2 − y1 z 2 − z1
The general point on this line will be given by: ( x1 + ar, y1 + br,z1 + cr )

5. Angle between two line segments

(i) The angle between two lines with direction ratios a 1 , b1 ,c1 and a 2 ,b 2 ,c 2
is given by:
a a +bb +cc
cos  = 2 1 22 21 2 2 1 22 2
a1 + b1 + c1 a 2 + b 2 + c2
Here a ˆi + b ˆj + c kˆ and a ˆi + b ˆj + c kˆ are two vector parallel to the
1 1 1 2 2 2

given two lines respectively.

(ii) The two lines are perpendicular if a1a 2 + b1b 2 + c1c 2 = 0 .

a1 b1 c1
(iii) The two lines are parallel if = = .
a 2 b2 c2

6. Skew Lines
(i) The lines which are not parallel nor lying in same plane, i.e., they are
not intersecting are known as Skew Lines. The condition for skew lines
is:
 '−   '−   '− 
= l m n 0
l' m' n'

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 (ii) The vector condition for two lines to be skew are:
( b  b ) .( a  a )  0
1 2 1 2

7. Shortest Distance between Two Lines

(i) Distance between two skew lines, l1 and l 2 with equations r = a1 + b1
and r = a 2 + b 2 is given by:

d=
( b  b ) .( a
1 2 2
 a1 )

( b b )
1 2

(ii) The Cartesian distance between two skew lines, l1 and l 2 is given by:
x 2 − x1 y 2 − y1 z 2 − z1
a1 b1 c1
a2 b2 c2
d=
(b c − b 2c1 ) + ( c1a 2 − c 2a1 ) + ( a1b 2 − a 2 b1 )
2 2 2
1 2

x − x1 y − y1 z − z1 x − x 2 y − y2 z − z 2
Where l1 = = = ,l2 = = = are the
a1 b1 c1 a2 b2 c2
skew lines.

(iii) Distance between two parallel lines, l1 and l 2 with equations

r = a1 + b1 and r = a 2 + b 2 is given by:

b  ( a 2 − a1 )
d=
b

8. Equation of a plane
(i) Vector form of equation of plane in normal form is given by:
r.nˆ = d

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 Where r is the position vector of the point on the given plane, n̂ is the
normal unit vector to the plane from origin and d is the length of the
normal unit vector from the origin to the plane.

(ii) Cartesian form of equation of plane in normal form is given by:

lx + my + nz = d
Where P(x, y,z) is the any point on the given plane, n̂ is the normal
unit vector to the plane from origin and l,m,n are the direction cosines
of the normal unit vector.

(iii) ( )
If r. aiˆ + bjˆ + ckˆ = d is the vector equation of the plane, then the
Cartesian equation of the plane will be ( ax + by + cz ) = d . Here a,b,c
are the direction ratios of the normal to the plane.

9. Equation of a plane perpendicular to a given vector and passing through

a given point
(i) The vector form of the equation of the plane is:
( r − a ).N = 0
Where r is the position vector of the any point on the given plane, N
is the given vector to the plane from origin and a is the position vector
of the given point on the given plane

(ii) Cartesian form of equation of plane is given by:

A ( x − x1 ) + B ( y − y1 ) + C ( z − z1 ) = 0
Where P(x, y,z) is the any point on the given plane, (x1 , y1 ,z1 ) is the
given point on the given plane and A,B,C are the direction ratios of
the given vector.

10. Equation of a plane passing through three non collinear points

(i) The vector form of the equation of the plane is:
( )
( r − a ).  b − a  ( c − a ) = 0

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 Where r is the position vector of the any point on the given plane,
a, b, c are the position vectors of the three non collinear points on the
plane.

(ii) Cartesian form of equation of plane is given by:

x − x1 y − y1 z − z1
x 2 − x1 y 2 − y1 z 2 − z1 = 0
x 3 − x1 y3 − y1 z 3 − z1
Where P(x, y,z) is the any point on the given plane,
(x1 , y1 ,z1 ),(x 2 , y 2 ,z 2 ),(x 3 , y 3 ,z 3 ) are the three non collinear points on
the plane.

11.Intercept form of the equation of a plane

(i) The equation is:
x y z
+ + =1
a b c
Where a,b,c are the intercepts the plane makes with x, y,z axes,
respectively.

(ii) The plane intercepts x axis at ( a,0,0 ) . Similarly, the plane intercepts
y axis at ( 0, b,0 ) and the plane intercepts z axis at ( 0,0,c ) .

12.Plane passing through the intersection of two given planes

(i) The vector form of equation of the plane passing through the
intersection of the two given planes r.nˆ 1 = d1 and r.nˆ 2 = d 2 is given by:
r.( n1 + n 2 ) = d1 + d 2

(ii) The Cartesian form of equation of the plane passing through the
intersection of the two given planes n1 = A1ˆi + B1ˆj + C1kˆ and
n = A ˆi + B ˆj + C kˆ is given by:
2 2 2 2

(A x + B y + C z − d ) +  (A x + B y + C z − d ) = 0
1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2

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 13.Coplanar lines
(i) Two lines are coplanar if:
 −  '  − '  −  '
l m n =0
l' m' n'
x − y − z −  x −  ' y − ' z −  '
Where = = and = = are the two
l m n l' m' n'
lines.

(ii) The plane containing the coplanar lines is:

x − y − z − 
l m n =0
l' m' n'

(iii) The condition for co-planarity in vector form:

(a 2 ( )
− a1 ) . b1  b 2 = 0
Where r = a1 + b1 and r = a 2 + b 2 are the given lines.

14.Angle between two planes

(i) Angle between the two normal to the two planes is known as the angle
between the two planes.

(ii) The vector form of the angle between the two planes is given by:
n1.n 2
cos  =
n1 n 2
Where n1 , n 2 are the two normal to the two planes respectively.

(iii) The Cartesian form of the angle between the two planes is given by:
A1A 2 + B1B2 + C1C2
cos  =
A + B12 + C12 A 22 + B22 + C22
2
1

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 Where A1 ,B1 ,C1 and A 2 ,B2 ,C 2 are the direction ratios of the normal to
the given planes.

(iv) The planes are perpendicular to each other if n1.n 2 = 0 or

A1A 2 + B1B2 + C1C 2 = 0 .

(v) The planes are parallel to each other if n 1 is parallel to n 2 or

A1 B1 C1
= = .
A 2 B2 C 2

15.Distance of a Point from a Plane

(i) The vector form of the distance is:
d − a.nˆ
Where a is the position vector of the given point and r.nˆ = d is the
equation of the plane.

(ii) The Cartesian form of the distance is:

Ax1 + By1 + Cz1 − D
A 2 + B2 + C 2
Where P(x1 , y1 ,z1 ) is the given point and Ax + By + Cz = D is the
Cartesian equation of the plane.

(iii) When r.N = d is the equation of the plane and N normal to the plane,
then the perpendicular distance is given by:
a.N − d
N

(iv) The perpendicular distance from origin to the plane r.N = d is given
by:
d
N
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 16.Angle between a line and a plane
(i) The complement of the angle between the normal to the plane and the
line is known as the angle between the line and the plane.

(ii) The vector form of the angle between the line and the plane is given by:
b.n
sin ( 90 −  ) = cos  =
b n
Where r = a + b is the equation of the line and r.n = d is the equation
the plane.

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