Answers

M243 Examination I

1. (25 points) Let u = î + 2 ĵ − k̂, v = −2 î − 4ĵ, and w = 7 ĵ − 4k̂.

(a) Find the projection of w onto u × v.

A:  
 î ĵ k̂ 

 
(u × v) =  1 2 −1  = −4 î + 2 ĵ
 
 −2 −4 0 
Computing the norm of u × v yields
p √ √
(−4)2 + 22 = 20 = 2 5.
Taking the dot product of w with u × v gives
   
0 −4
 7  ·  2  = 7 · 2 = 14.
−4 0

The projection of w on v × v is then

7√
   
w·u×v
proju×v w = w = 5 (−2, 1, 0)> .
(u × v) · (u × v) 5

(b) Compute the volume of the parallelepiped determined by the vectors u, v, and w.
A: The volume of the parallelepiped is just the norm of the triple scalar product (u × v) · w.
But we have computed this above. It is 14.

2. (25 points) Consider the plane whose equation is x + 3y + z = 5.

(a) Find a unit normal to the plane containing the three points P : (1, 1, 7), Q : (3, 1, 5), and
−→ −→
R : (2, 0, 3). A: The vectors P Q = (2, 0, −2)> and P R = (1, −1, −4)> lie in the plane, so a
normal vector is given by the cross product:
 
 î ĵ k̂ 
 
−→ −→
0 −2  = (−2, 6, −2)> = n.
 
PQ × PR =  2

 
 1 −1 −4 

This vector n is normal to the plane. A unit normal n̂ is given by

n 1 1
= √ (−2, 6, −2)> = √ (−1, 3, −1)> .
knk 4 + 36 + 4 11

1
 (b) Write the equation of the plane of part (b) in the form (x − p) · n = 0. Rewrite this equation
as a single equation involving the components x, y, and z of the vector x.
A: Let x = (x, y, z)> , p = (1, 1, 7)> , and take n = (−2, 6, −2)> . Then
   
(x − 1) −2
 (y − 1)  ·  6  = 0
(z − 7) −2
is the required equation. Computing the dot product yields the equation −2(x − 1) + 6(y −
1) − 2(z − 7) = 0 or −2x + 6y − 2z = −10.

(c) Find a vector perpendicular to the vector q = (3, 1, 5)> and which lies in the plane or part
b.
A: The condition of orthogonality is that the required vector v satisfy v · q = 0. That it lie
in the plane means that it satisfy as well n · v = 0. This gives two equations

3 x + y + 5 z = 0 and − 2 x + 6 y − 2 z = 0.
These equations have the solution x = 1, y = − 49
8
, z = 58 . So the vector with these compo-
nents satisfies the conditions.

3. (25 points)
(a) Find a parametric equation for the line passing through the point P : (1, 2, 3) and parallel
to the vector v in part(a).
A: The parametric equation for the line is just x = p + tv, where p = (1, 2, 3)> and
v = (−3, 0, 7)> . Hence
     
1 −3 1 − 3t
x =  2 +t  0 = 2 ,
3 7 3 + 7t
or x = 1 − 3 t, y = 2, z = 3 + 7 t, −∞ < t < ∞.

(b) Find the perpendicular bisector of the line segment joining the points P : (1, 2, 3) and
Q : (4, 2, −4).
A: The line segment joining the points P and Q is given parametrically by
   
1 4
x(t) = (1 − t)  2  + t  2 
3 −4
1 5 1
and the midpoint corresponds to the parameter value t = . So the midpoint is ( , 2, − ).
2 2 2
Since the perpendicular bisector has direction orthogonal to the direction of the line segment,
−→
namely P Q = (3, 0, −7)> , we have, from part (a) that the perpendicular direction is given
5 1
by p = (7, 0, 3)> . The required line is then x(t) = ( + 7 t, 2, − + 3 t)> .
2 2

2
 (c) If m is the position vector of the midpoint and r is the position vector of the point (6, 2, 1),
are the vectors m − q and v linearly independent? Justify your answer.
5 1
A: From the preceeding part, the midpoint is ( , 2, − ). Hence the vector
2 2
 
5    
 2  6 −7
1
m − r =  2  −  2  =  0 .
 
 1  2
− 1 −3
2
Now just check the dot product:
   
−7 −3
(m − r) · v =  0  ·  0  = 0
−3 7

4. (25 points)
Let V be the vector space of points in R3 .

(a) If u, v and w are in V , define the set span{u, v, w}. What is its dimension?
A: span{u, v, w} = {ru + sv + tw | t, x ∈ R}. This is a subspace of V of dimension three
provided that the given vectors are linearly independent. If they are linearly dependent, the
dimension of the subspace is either two or one.

(b) For the specific choice u = (2, −2, 1)> and v = (−1, 0, 1)> , identify span{u, v}. (Hint: derive
a single equation relating x, y, and z from a linear combination of u and v.
A: For these vectors we have

     
 2 −1 
span {u, v} = t  −2  + s  0  | s, t ∈ R
1 1
 
  
 2t − s 
=  −2 t  |s, t ∈ R .
t+s
 

> >
z) = (2 t − s, −2t, t + s) . Eliminating the parameters, we have
Hence x(t, s) = (x, y,
1
s = z − t and y = − t so that z = −x + y from which it follows that x = y − z + y or
2
x − y + z = 0. We conclude that we can write:

span{u, v} = {x − y + z = 0 | x, y, z ∈ R}.