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The two displacement vectors $\mathbf{b}-\mathbf{a}$ and $\mathbf{c}-\mathbf{a}$ lie in the required plane. Because the three points are non-collinear, their cross productis nonzero and is a normal vector to that plane. A point with position vector $\mathbf{r}$ lies in the plane exactly whenExpanding the cross product givesThe terms $\mathbf{a}\cdot (\mathbf{a}\times \mathbf{b})$ and $\mathbf{a}\cdot (\mathbf{c}\times \mathbf{a})$ vanish, so the equation of a plane through three points becomesNon-collinearity is important: it ensures this is a genuine plane equation with nonzero normal, rather than the vacuous equality $0=0$.

For the specified coordinates,Their sum is $(3,3,6)$, with Euclidean norm $3\sqrt{6}$. Consequently either orientation of the unit normal is valid:As a check, the scalar triple product is $12$, so the plane equation simplifies to $x+y+2z=4$, which all three supplied points satisfy. The normal direction is $(1,1,2)$.

Two directions within the plane areTheir cross product is $(1,1,1)/4$, so a unit vector normal to the plane isIts negative is equally valid. An equation of a plane through three points in vector form isor, parametrically, $\mathbf{r}=\mathbf{e}+s(\mathbf{f}-\mathbf{e})+t(\mathbf{g}-\mathbf{e})$. Since the coordinate sum of $E$ is one, the Cartesian equation of a plane isThe distance from a point to a plane is the absolute normal displacement, giving