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Activity8 Shortest Distance Between Two Skew Lines

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79 views2 pages

Activity8 Shortest Distance Between Two Skew Lines

Uploaded by

ayushasthasingh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ACTIVITY - 8 :

Shortest distance between two skew lines.


OBJECTIVE
To measure the shortest distance between two skew lines and verify it analytically.

MATERIAL REQUIRED
▪ A drawing board
▪ A white paper sheet
▪ Board pins, pencil and scale
▪ Three wooden blocks of size 2cm×2cm×2cm each and one wooden block of size 2cm×2cm×4cm,
wires of different lengths, Set squares, adhesive.

METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION
1) Take drawing boards and fix a white paper sheet on it with the help of pins.
2) On the square paper draw two perpendicular lines OA and OB intersecting at O, representing
𝑥 − 𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑠 and 𝑦 − 𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑠 respectively.
3) Take the three blocks of the size 2cm×2cm×2cm as I, II and III. Name the 4th wooden block
2cm×2cm×4cm as IV.
4) Place blocks I, II, III such that their base centers are at the points (2,2), (1,6) and (7,6),
respectively and block IV with its base Centre at (6,2)
5) Place a straight wire joining the points P and Q, the centres of the bases of the blocks I and II and
another wire joining the centres R and S of the tops of the blocks I and III and another wire joining
the centre R and S of the tops of the blocks II and IV as show in the figure.
6) These two wires represent two skew lines.
7) Take a wire and join it perpendicularly with the skew lines and measure the actual distance.
DEMONSTRATION
• A set-square is placed in such a way that its one perpendicular side is along the wire PQ.
• Move the set-square along PQ till its other perpendicular side touches the other wire.
• Measure the distance between the two lines in this position using set-square. This is the shortest
distance between two skew lines.
• Find the equation of line joining P (2,2,0) and Q(7,6,0) and other line joining R(1,6,2) and
S(6, 2, 4), Direction Ratios of the line PQ: (5, 4, 0) and fixed point (2, 2, 0)
• Equation of the line PQ: r = 2iˆ + 2jˆ + 0kˆ + (5iˆ + 4jˆ + 0k)
ˆ ---------------(1)
• Direction Ratios of the line RS: (5, -4, 2) and fixed point (1,6, 2)
• Equation of the line RS: r = ˆi + 6jˆ + 2kˆ + (5iˆ − 4jˆ + 2k)
ˆ ------------------(2)
• Here,
r1 = 2iˆ + 2jˆ + 0kˆ m1 = 5iˆ + 4jˆ + 0kˆ
r = ˆi + 6jˆ + 2kˆ
2 2 m = 5iˆ − 4jˆ + 2kˆ
ˆi ˆj kˆ
m1  m2 = 5 4 0 = 8iˆ − 10jˆ − 40kˆ
5 −4 2

Also m1  m2 = 64 + 100 + 1600 = 1764

r1 − r2 = ˆi − 4jˆ − 2kˆ

( r − r ) ( m  m ) = 128
1 2 1 2

SD =
(r − r ) (m  m ) =
1 2 1 2 128
=
128
= 3 units approx
m1  m2 1764 42

OBSERVATION
1) Coordinates of point P are (2, 2, 0)
2) Coordinates of point Q are (7, 6, 0)
3) Coordinates of point R are (1, 6, 2)
4) Coordinates of point S are (6, 2, 4)
5) Equation of the line PQ: r = 2iˆ + 2jˆ + 0kˆ + (5iˆ + 4jˆ + 0k)
ˆ

6) Equation of the line RS: r = ˆi + 6jˆ + 2kˆ + (5iˆ − 4jˆ + 2k)


ˆ
7) Shortest distance between PQ and RS analytically=3
8) Shortest distance between PQ and RS by actual measurement = 3 units
9) In both the cases results are same.

PREPARED BY
LPS HEAD OFFICE

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