Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 1 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge / 2025 / Paper 1 / 11

This is a plane through the origin in three-dimensional Euclidean space, with nonzero normal vector $(1,2,-3{)}^T$:

For example, chooseBoth vectors satisfy the plane equation. They are linearly independent vectors: in $\alpha \mathbf{u}+\beta \mathbf{v}=0$, the second coordinate gives $\alpha =0$ and the third gives $\beta =0$.

No. Every vector in the plane can be written asThe two linearly independent vectors in part (ii) therefore form a vector space basis for this vector subspace. Its dimension is $2$, so any three vectors in it have linear dependence.

The dot product with the given unit vector is $\mathbf{r}\cdot \hat{\mathbf{n}}=(x+z)/\sqrt{2}$. Subtracting the corresponding orthogonal projection givesTaking its squared Euclidean norm yields the equivalent Cartesian equation

The removed vector is the orthogonal projection of $\mathbf{r}$ onto the line through the origin in direction $\hat{\mathbf{n}}$. The remaining vector measures the perpendicular displacement from that line. Fixing its Euclidean norm at $2$ therefore describes an infinite circular cylinder of radius $2$, with axis $x=z$, $y=0$.

The plane equation $x+z=0$ has normal vector $(1,0,1{)}^T=\sqrt{2}\hat{\mathbf{n}}$. Thus its normal vector is parallel to the cylinder's axis and the plane is perpendicular to that axis. It passes through the origin, so the intersection is a circle of radius $2$ centred at the origin in that plane.

Indeed, with the orthonormal basis $\mathbf{e}=(1,0,-1{)}^T/\sqrt{2}$ and $\mathbf{f}=(0,1,0{)}^T$ of the plane, write $\mathbf{r}=s\mathbf{e}+t\mathbf{f}$. The cylinder equation becomes $s^2+t^2=4$. Equivalently, the intersection has the parametric equation

Use the distance from a point to a plane formula with the unit normal $\hat{\mathbf{n}}$. Since the plane passes through the origin, the distance isFor a direct check, the closest point on a plane is $\mathbf{p}-(\mathbf{p}\cdot \hat{\mathbf{n}})\hat{\mathbf{n}}=(1,\sqrt{2},-1{)}^T$, whose displacement from $\mathbf{p}$ has Euclidean norm $\sqrt{2}$.

Let $\mathbf{d}={\mathbf{a}}_2-{\mathbf{a}}_1$ and $\mathbf{w}={\mathbf{v}}_1\times {\mathbf{v}}_2$. The assumed linear independence gives $\mathbf{w}\ne 0$. Every displacement joining one line to the other isIts dot product with $\mathbf{w}$ is always $\mathbf{d}\cdot \mathbf{w}$. The component in that direction is therefore fixed, so orthogonal decomposition gives $\Vert \mathbf{s}\Vert \ge |\mathbf{d}\cdot \mathbf{w}|/\Vert \mathbf{w}\Vert$.

The two linearly independent vectors ${\mathbf{v}}_1,{\mathbf{v}}_2$ span the plane perpendicular to $\mathbf{w}$. Suitable ${\lambda }_1,{\lambda }_2$ cancel the component of $\mathbf{d}$ in that plane, attaining the lower bound. Thus the distance between skew lines formula, also valid when the lines intersect, gives

The nonzero direction vectors now have linear dependence, so the lines are parallel or coincident. Subtract from $\mathbf{d}={\mathbf{a}}_2-{\mathbf{a}}_1$ its orthogonal projection along ${\mathbf{v}}_1$; the remaining component is the shortest joining displacement. The distance between parallel lines isThe second expression follows from the relation between the cross product and the perpendicular component. It includes distance zero for coincident lines.

For the stipulated linearly independent vectors ${\mathbf{v}}_1,{\mathbf{v}}_2$, the denominator in part (i) is nonzero. ThusEquivalently, ${\mathbf{a}}_2-{\mathbf{a}}_1$ belongs to the linear span of ${\mathbf{v}}_1,{\mathbf{v}}_2$. Geometrically the lines lie in one plane, and, since their direction vectors are not parallel, they intersect at a unique point. The linear combination expressing ${\mathbf{a}}_2-{\mathbf{a}}_1$ gives the two parameters of that intersection.