More practice questions

  1. Q5. Find the distance between the parallel lines 3x − 4y + 7 = 0 and 6x − 8y − 1 = 0.

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    Divide the second by 2 so that A and B match: 3x − 4y − 1/2 = 0. Then d = |7 + 1/2|/5 = 3/2.

  2. Q6. Find the foot of the perpendicular from the origin to 3x + 4y = 10, and the image of the origin in this line.

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    The line is 3x + 4y − 10 = 0, and at the origin 3x + 4y − 10 is −10. For the foot, h/3 = k/4 = 10/25 = 2/5, so the foot is (6/5, 8/5). Check: its distance from O is √(36 + 64)/5 = 2 = |−10|/5. The image is twice as far along: (12/5, 16/5).

  3. Q7. Find c so that the line 3x − 4y + c = 0 is at distance 2 from (1, 1).

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    |3 − 4 + c|/5 = 2, so c − 1 = 10 or c − 1 = −10. So c = 11 or c = −9: two lines, one on each side of the point.

  4. Q8. If p and q are the lengths of the perpendiculars from the origin to x cos θ − y sin θ = k cos 2θ and x sec θ + y cosec θ = k, with sin θ cos θ ≠ 0, prove that p2 + 4q2 = k2 (NCERT Exercise 9.3, Q15).

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    For the first line, A2 + B2 = cos2 θ + sin2 θ = 1, so p = |k cos 2θ|. Multiplying the second by sin θ cos θ gives x sin θ + y cos θ = k sin θ cos θ, so

    q = |k sin θ cos θ| = |k sin 2θ|/2.

    So p2 + 4q2 is

    k2(cos2 2θ + sin2 2θ) = k2.

  5. Q9. Find the perpendicular distance from the origin to the line through the distinct points (cos θ, sin θ) and (cos φ, sin φ), so φ − θ is not an integer multiple of 2π (NCERT Miscellaneous Exercise, Q4).

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    By the two-point form, using sin φ cos θ − cos φ sin θ = sin(φ − θ), the line is (sin φ − sin θ)x − (cos φ − cos θ)y + sin(θ − φ) = 0. Here

    A2 + B2 = 2 − 2 cos(φ − θ)

    = 4 sin2((φ − θ)/2).

    So d = |sin(θ − φ)|/(2|sin((φ − θ)/2)|) = |cos((φ − θ)/2)|, using sin 2u = 2 sin u cos u. Both points are on the unit circle, so this is the distance of the chord from the centre.

  6. Q10. For real non-zero a, b with a2 ≥ b2, prove that the product of the lengths of the perpendiculars from (√(a2 − b2), 0) and (−√(a2 − b2), 0) to the line (x/a) cos θ + (y/b) sin θ = 1 is b2 (NCERT Miscellaneous Exercise, Q22).

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    Write the line as bx cos θ + ay sin θ − ab = 0 and let e = √(a2 − b2). The product of the two distances is

    |be cos θ − ab|

    × |−be cos θ − ab|

    ÷ (b2 cos2 θ + a2 sin2 θ).

    The top is b2|a2 − e2 cos2 θ| = b2(a2 sin2 θ + b2 cos2 θ), using e2 = a2 − b2. It cancels with the bottom and leaves b2.