Find the distance from the point (-5,5,-6) to the line a(t) = (5, 1, −4)t + (2,−1,0).

Calculus: Early Transcendentals
8th Edition
ISBN:9781285741550
Author:James Stewart
Publisher:James Stewart
Chapter1: Functions And Models
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 1RCC: (a) What is a function? What are its domain and range? (b) What is the graph of a function? (c) How...
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### Problem:

Find the distance from the point \((-5, 5, -6)\) to the line \(\vec{a}(t) = \langle 5, 1, -4 \rangle t + \langle 2, -1, 0 \rangle\).

### Solution:

To find the distance between a point and a line in three-dimensional space, we can use vector calculus methods. The distance \( D \) from a point \( P \) to a line with vector equation \(\vec{r}(t) = \vec{a} t + \vec{b} \) can be found using the following steps:

1. Let \( \vec{P} \) be the position vector of the point.
2. Let \( \vec{r_0} = \vec{b} \) be any point on the line.
3. Let \( \vec{d} = \vec{a} \) be the direction vector of the line.
4. The desired distance \( D \) is given by:
\[ D = \frac{||(\vec{P} - \vec{r_0}) \times \vec{d}||}{||\vec{d}||} \]

Where:
- \( \vec{P} \) is the position vector of the point \((-5, 5, -6)\).
- \( \vec{r_0} \) is a point on the line \( \langle 2, -1, 0 \rangle \).
- \( \vec{d} \) is the direction vector of the line \( \langle 5, 1, -4 \rangle \).

By substituting these values into the formula, we can compute the distance.
Transcribed Image Text:### Problem: Find the distance from the point \((-5, 5, -6)\) to the line \(\vec{a}(t) = \langle 5, 1, -4 \rangle t + \langle 2, -1, 0 \rangle\). ### Solution: To find the distance between a point and a line in three-dimensional space, we can use vector calculus methods. The distance \( D \) from a point \( P \) to a line with vector equation \(\vec{r}(t) = \vec{a} t + \vec{b} \) can be found using the following steps: 1. Let \( \vec{P} \) be the position vector of the point. 2. Let \( \vec{r_0} = \vec{b} \) be any point on the line. 3. Let \( \vec{d} = \vec{a} \) be the direction vector of the line. 4. The desired distance \( D \) is given by: \[ D = \frac{||(\vec{P} - \vec{r_0}) \times \vec{d}||}{||\vec{d}||} \] Where: - \( \vec{P} \) is the position vector of the point \((-5, 5, -6)\). - \( \vec{r_0} \) is a point on the line \( \langle 2, -1, 0 \rangle \). - \( \vec{d} \) is the direction vector of the line \( \langle 5, 1, -4 \rangle \). By substituting these values into the formula, we can compute the distance.
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