MathematicsNEB 2076 (old course)
a) Find the condition that a line ax + by + c = 0 may be normal to the parabola y^2 = 4mx . [4] OR Find the vertices and foci of the ellipse (x+2)^216 + (y 5)^29 = 1 . b) Show that the plane 2x + 3y…
8a) Find the condition that a line may be normal to the parabola . [4] OR Find the vertices and foci of the ellipse . b) Show that the plane is parallel to the plane and is perpendicular to . [4]
Answer
a) Find the condition that a line may be normal to the parabola .
Step 1: Understand the Parabola and Normal Line
The given parabola is , which is a standard right-opening parabola with vertex at the origin and focus at .
A normal to a curve at a point is a line perpendicular to the tangent at that point. To find the condition for the line to be normal to the parabola, we need to:
- Find the slope of the tangent to the parabola at any point .
- Determine the slope of the normal line (which is the negative reciprocal of the tangent slope).
- Equate the slope of the given line to the slope of the normal and derive the condition.
Step 2: Find the Slope of the Tangent to the Parabola
Differentiate implicitly with respect to : At a point on the parabola, the slope of the tangent is:
Step 3: Find the Slope of the Normal Line
The slope of the normal line is the negative reciprocal of the tangent slope:
Step 4: Express the Given Line in Slope-Intercept Form
The given line is . Rewrite it in slope-intercept form: The slope of this line is:
Step 5: Equate the Slopes and Use the Parabola Condition
For the line to be normal to the parabola, its slope must equal the slope of the normal:
Since lies on the parabola , substitute :
Now, the point must satisfy the line equation : Simplify: Multiply through by to eliminate denominators: Factor out : Since (otherwise the line is not defined), we have: Divide by (assuming ): This is the required condition for the line to be normal to the parabola .
Final Condition:
OR
Find the vertices and foci of the ellipse .
Step 1: Rewrite the Ellipse in Standard Form
The given equation is: This is of the form: where:
- is the center of the ellipse.
- (semi-major axis).
- (semi-minor axis).
Since , the major axis is horizontal.
Step 2: Find the Vertices
For a horizontal major axis, the vertices are at: Substitute the values: Thus, the vertices are:
Step 3: Find the Foci
The distance of each focus from the center is given by: Thus, the foci are at: So, the foci are:
Final Answer:
- Vertices: and
- Foci: and
b) Show that the plane is parallel to the plane and is perpendicular to .
Step 1: Check Parallelism Between Two Planes
Two planes are parallel if their normal vectors are scalar multiples of each other.
- Plane 1: has normal vector .
- Plane 2: has normal vector .
Check if : Since all ratios are equal (), the planes are parallel.
Step 2: Check Perpendicularity with the Third Plane
A plane is perpendicular to another if its normal vector is perpendicular to the other plane's normal vector. This is checked using the dot product.
- Plane 1:
- Plane 3: has normal vector .
Compute the dot product: Since the dot product is zero, the planes are perpendicular.
Conclusion:
- The planes and are parallel because their normal vectors are scalar multiples.
- The plane is perpendicular to the plane because their normal vectors are orthogonal (dot product is zero).
Discussion
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