Multivariate Calculus

In Class Problems: Week Two

1 Dot and Cross Product Problems

1. Express the vector w as the sum of a vector wk parallel to v and a vector w⊥ orthogonal
to v where (a) w = 2i − 4j and v = i + j. (b) w = 3i + j − 2k and v = 2i − k.
Comments: Recall that
w·v
wk = v, w⊥ = w − wk .
kvk2

(a) wk = h−1, −1i, w⊥ = h3, −3i.

(b) wk = h16/5, 0, −8/5i, w⊥ = h−1/5, 1, −2/5i.

2. Consider the two vectors v = 3 i − 2 j + 4 k and w = i + j + 2 k. (a) Find a vector u that

is perpendicular to both v and w. (b) Find the area of the parallelogram that has
adjacent edges given by v and w. (c) Find the area of the triangle that has adjacent
edges given by v and w.
Comments (a) The vector u is given by the cross product √ v × w so u = −8 i − 2 j + 5 k.
(b) The area of the parallelogram is given by kv × wk√ = 93.
(c) The area of the triangle is given by 12 kv × wk = 93/2.

3. (a) Find a angle between a diagonal of a cube and one of its edges.
(b) Show that the diagonals of a rhombus are perpendicular.
Comments: (a) Assume that the cube has side a, the origin is a vertex, the point
(a, a, a) and that it has faces in the coordinate planes. Then a diagonal is given by the
vector v = ai + aj + ak, while ai, aj, and ak are all edges. So the cosine of the angle θ
between v and the edge ai is given by

v · ai a2 1
cos θ = =√ =√ .
kvk kaik 2
3a a 3
√
Hence θ = arccos(1/ 3).
(b) A rhombus is a parallelogram whose sides have equal length. Assume that two
adjacent edges are given by the vectors v and w. Then the diagonals have the form
v + w and v − w. To check that they are perpendicular we will show that their dot
product is zero:
(v + w) · (v − w) = v · v + v · w − w · v − w · w
But this reduces to
v · v − w · w = kvk2 − kwk2 = 0,
since the edges have equal length.

4. Use a triple scalar product to find the volume of the parallelopiped that has u, v, and w
as adjacent edges:
u = +2 i − 6 j + 2 k, v = 4j − 2k, and w = 2 i + 2 j − 4 k.
 Comments: The volume is given as |u · v × w| which is given by evaluating the 3 × 3
determinant:
2 −6 2
0 4 −2 = −16.
2 2 −4
So the volume is 16.

5. Find a unit vector in 2-space that makes an angle of π/4 radians with the vector
w = 4i + 3j.
Comments: The algebra is very messy in this problem. We will use the dot product to
find the desired vector v = hv1 , v2 i. Since its norm is 1, we know that v12 + v22 = 1.
Further, by the geometric definition of the dot product, we also have
√
v·w 2
= cos(π/4) = .
kvk kwk 2
Now kwk = 5 and kvk = 1 so the reduces to
√
v · w = 4v1 + 3v2 = 5 2/2, v12 + v22 = 1.
√ √
Solving
√ this system,
√ we find that there are two solutions: v 1 = 7 2/10, v2 − 2/10 and
v1 = 2/10, v2 = 7 2/10. √
To get these solutions, write v1 in terms of v2 as v1 = (5 2/2
2 2 2
√ − 3v2 )/4 then
2
substitute
back into v1 + v2 = 1. This way we get√the equation v2 + (5 2/2 − 3v2 ) /16 = 1.
Expanding this, we have 25v2 /16 − 15 2v2 /16 + 25/32 = 1. This is a quadratic equation
whose solutions give the above values of v2 .

2 Line Problems
1. Find the intersection of the line x = −1 + 2t, y = 3 + t, z = 4 − t with the xy-plane
[z = 0], yz-plane [x = 0], and xz-plane [y = 0].
Comments: We just show the method for the xy-plane or equivalently, z = 0. Then
z = 4 − t = 0 or t = 4. So x = 1 + 2 · 4 = 9 and y = 3 + 4 = 7. The intersection point is
(9, 7, 0).

2. Find the line through (1, 2, −1) and parallel to the vector 3i − 4j + k.
Comments: x = 1 + 3t, y = 2 − 4t, z − 1 + t.

3. Are the following three points on the same line? The points are: P1 (1, 0, 1),
P2 (3, −4, −3), and P3 (4, −6, −5).
Comments: Consider the two vectors P1 P2 and P2 P3 . If they are multiples of each
other, the lines are the same. Now P1 P2 = h2, −4, −4i and P2 P3 = h1, −2, −2i. But
P1 P2 = 2P2 P3 .

4. Find the intersection of the line L : x = 2 − t, y = 5t, z = −t with the plane

2x + y + z = 1.
Comments: The intersection point is determined by 2(2 − t) + (5t) + (−t) = 1 or
2t = −3 so t = −3/2. The point is (1/2, 15/2, 3/2).
 5. Find all intersection points of the line x = 1 + t, y = 3 − t, z = 2t with the cylinder
x2 + y 2 = 16.
Comments: The points are determined by (1 + t)2 + (3 − t)2 = 16 or expanded
t2 − 2t − 3 = 0 or t = −1, 3. The points are (0, 4, −2) and (4, 0, 6).

6. Show that the lines L1 and L2 are the same where L1 : x = 1 + 3t, y = −2 + t, z = 2t and
L2 : x = 4 − 6t, y = −1 − 2t, z = 2 − 4t.
Comments: We need to show that their parallel vectors v1 and v2 are multiplies of
each other and that they share a common point. Now v1 = h3, 1, 2i and
v2 = h−6, −3, = 4i. Then v2 = −2v1 . Now P0 (1, −2, 0) lies on the line L1 . It also lies on
L2 since z = 0 implies t = 1/2 so x = −1, y = −2.

3 Plane Problems
1. Find the equation of the plane that contains the points A(1, 0, 1), B(2, 1, 3), and
C(0, 1, 2).
Comments: Form the two vectors AB = h1, 1, 2i and AC = h−1, 1, 1i. Their cross
product is
i j j
1 1 2 = h−1, −3, 2i
−1 1 1
So the plane has the equation −(x − 1) − 3(y − 0) + 2(z − 1) = 0 or −x − 3y + 2z = 1.

2. Find a unit vector that is parallel to the line of intersection of the two planes:
2(x − 1) + 3(y + 2) + (z − 1) = 0 and (x − 1) − 2(y + 1) + 4(z + 1) = 0. [Hint: find the
normal vectors for the two planes, and take cross products].
Comments: The normal vectors are N1 = h2, 3, 1i and N2 = h1, −2, 4i. Their cross
product is
i j j
2 3 1 = h14, −7, −7i
1 −2 4
√
A unit vector is h2, −1, −1i/ 6.

3. Find the equation of the plane through the point P0 (−1, 4, 2) that contains the line of
intersection of the planes 4x − y + z = 2 and 2x + y − 2z = 3.
Comments: The normal vectors are N1 = h4, −1, 1i and N2 = h2, 1, −2i. Their cross
product is
i j j
v = 4 −1 1 = h1, 10, 6i
2 1 −2
which is parallel to the desired plane. To get a second vector parallel to the desired
plane, let P1 (0, 0, 2) that lies on the first plane Then P0 P1 = h1, −4, 0i is parallel to the
 desired plane. Then the cross product v × P0 P1 is a normal vector to this plane:

i j j
1 10 6 = h24, 6, −14i
1 −4 0

The plane is given by the equation 24(x + 1) + 6(y − 4) − 14(z − 2) = 0 or

12x + 3y − 7z = −14.

4. Do the following four points A(1, 0, −1), B(0, 2, 3), C(−2, 1, 1), D(4, 2, 3) all lie on the
same plane? If they do, find the equation of the plane.
Comments: