Concept understanding — Angle and Distance between Lines and Planes
Four closely related "how far / how tilted" computations, all built from a plane's normal n or a line's direction b.
Angle between two planes = angle between their normals: θ=cos−1(∣n1∣∣n2∣∣n1⋅n2∣); perpendicular iff n1⋅n2=0, parallel iff n1=λn2.
Angle between a line and a plane = complement of the angle between the line's direction b and the plane's normal n (since a line lying flat in the plane is perpendicular to the normal, and vice versa): θ=sin−1(∣b∣∣n∣b⋅n); the line is perpendicular to the plane iff b∥n, and parallel to the plane iff b⋅n=0.
Distance from a point u to a plane r⋅n=p:δ=∣n∣∣u⋅n−p∣ (Cartesian: δ=a2+b2+c2∣ax1+by1+cz1−p∣); taking u=0 gives the distance from the origin, δ=a2+b2+c2∣d∣ for ax+by+cz+d=0. The foot of that perpendicular is u+∣n∣2p−u⋅nn. …
Same / Similar Concept — real previous-year questions on the same or a closely similar concept, not this exact question.
CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQ
Q.If the image of the point A(1,2,3) with respect to the plane r⋅(i^+2j^+4k^)=38 is A′(3,6,11), then the foot of the perpendicular from the point A to the given plane is :
(a) (2,5,7)
(b) (2,3,7)
(c) (2,−4,7)
(d) (2,4,7)
›Reveal solutionSolution
The foot of the perpendicular from a point to a plane is exactly the midpoint of that point and its reflected image in the plane.
When a point A is reflected in a plane to get its image A′, the line segment AA′ is perpendicular to the plane, and the plane bisects AA′.
So the foot of the perpendicular from A to the plane is the midpoint M of A and A′. …
Q.The angle between the lines 3x−2=−2y+1, z=2 and 1x−1=32y+3=2z+5 is :
(a) 3π
(b) 6π
(c) 2π
(d) 4π
›Reveal solutionSolution
Extracting each line's direction vector (rewriting the second line's 2y+3 term into standard symmetric form) and finding their dot product is zero shows the lines are perpendicular.
Line 1: 3x−2=−2y+1, z=2. Since z is fixed (no variation with the parameter), its direction ratios are d1=(3,−2,0).
Line 2: 1x−1=32y+3=2z+5. Rewrite the middle term: 2y+3=2(y+23), so 32y+3=3/2y+3/2. …
Q.The distance between the planes x+2y+3z+7=0 and 2x+4y+6z+7=0 is :
(a) 227
(b) 227
(c) 27
(d) 27
›Reveal solutionSolution
Writing both planes with the same normal direction and applying the parallel-plane distance formula gives 227.
The two planes are x+2y+3z+7=0 and 2x+4y+6z+7=0.
Divide the second equation by 2 so both planes share the same coefficients for x,y,z: 2x+4y+6z+7=0⇒x+2y+3z+27=0.
Now both planes have the form x+2y+3z+d=0, with d1=7 for the first and d2=27 for the second — confirming the planes are parallel (same normal vector (1,2,3)).
The distance between two parallel planes ax+by+cz+d1=0 and ax+by+cz+d2=0 is a2+b2+c2∣d1−d2∣.
Here ∣d1−d2∣=7−27=27, and a2+b2+c2=12+22+32=14. …