SMS3513: Tutorial 1

Three-Dimensional Coordinate Systems

Question 1. Give a geometric description of the set of points in space whose coordinate
satisfy the given pairs of equation.
(a) = 1, = 0;
(b)
2
+
2
= 1, = 0;
(c)
2
+
2
+( +3)
2
= 25, = 0;
(d)
2
+
2
= 4, = ;
(e) =
2
, = 0.

Question 2. Describe the sets of points in space whose coordinates satisfy the given
inequalities or combinations of equations and inequalities.
(a) 0 1, 0 1, 0 1;
(b)
2
+
2
1, no restriction on ;
(c)
2
, 0 2;
(d) = 1 , no restriction on .

Question 3. Find the distance between points
1
and
2
.
(a)
1
(1, 1, 5),
2
(2, 5, 0) (b)
1
(3, 4, 5),
2
(2, 3, 4)

Question 4. Find the centers and radii of the spheres.
(a) ( 2)
2
+( 2)
2
+( +2)
2
= 2;
(b)
2
+( +
1
3
)
3
+(
1
3
)
2
=
16
9
;
(c) 3
2
+3
2
+3
2
+2 2 = 9

Question 5. Show that the point (3, 1, 2) is equidistant from the points (2, 1, 3) and
(4, 3, 1).

Question 6. Find an equation for the set of all points equidistant from the point (0, 0, 2) and
the xy-plane.

Vectors
Question 7. Express each vector as a product of its length and direction.
(a) 9 2 +6;
(b) 5;
(c)

3
+

3
+

3
.

Question 8. Find the direction of
1

and the midpoint of line segment

1

2
.
(a)
1
(1, 4, 5),

2
(4, 2, 7)
(b)
1
(3, 4, 5),

2
(2, 3, 4)
(c)
1
(0, 0, 0),

2
(2, 2, 2)

Question 9. Let = 2 +, = +, and = . Find scalars a and b such that = +
.

Question 10. Let = 2, = 2 +3, and = +. Write =
1
+
2
, where
1
is parallel
to and
2
is parallel to .

Question 11. An airplane is flying in the direction 25 west of north at 800 km/h. find the
component from of the velocity of the airplane, assuming that the positive x-axis represents due
east and the positive y-axis represents due north.

Question 12. A bird flies from its nest 5 km in the direction 60 north of east, where it stops to
rest on a tree. It then flies 10 km in the direction due southeast and lands atop a telephone pole.
Place an xy-coordinate system so that the origin is the birds nest, the x-axis points east, and the
y-axis points north.
(a) At what point is the tree located?
(b) At what point is the telephone pole?

Question 13. Let ABCD be a general, not necessarily planar quadrilateral in space. Show that
the two segments joining the midpoints of opposite side of ABCD bisect each other. (Hint: Show
that the segments have the same midpoint.)

Question 14. Suppose that A, B, and C re vertices of a triangle and that a, b, and c are,
respectively, the midpoint of the opposite sides. Show that

= 0.

Question 15. Show that a unit vector in the plane can be expressed as = (cos ) +(sin),
obtained by rotating i through the angle in the counterclockwise direction. Explain why this
form gives every unit vector in the plane.