Find the angle between the lines whose direction cosines are given by the equations:
l+m+n=0 and l2+m2–n2=0
Given relations are:
⇒ l2+m2–n2=0 ……(1)
⇒ l+m+n=0
⇒ l=–m–n……(2)
Substituting (2) in (1) we get,
⇒ (–m–n)2+m2–n2=0
⇒ m2+n2+2mn+m2–n2=0
⇒ 2m2+2mn=0
⇒ 2m(m+n)=0
⇒ 2m=0 or m+n=0
⇒ m=0 or m=–n ……(3)
Substituting value of m from(3) in (2)
For the 1st line:
⇒ l=–0–n
⇒ l=–n
The Direction Ratios for the first line is (–n,0,n)
For the 2nd line:
⇒ l=–(–n)–n
⇒ l=n–n
⇒ l=0
The Direction Ratios for the second line is (0,–n,n)
We know that the angle between the lines with direction ratios proportional to (a1,b1,c1) and (a2,b2,c2) is given by:
⇒
Using the above formula we calculate the angle between the lines.
Let be the angle between the two lines given in the problem.
⇒
⇒
⇒
⇒
⇒
∴ The angle between given two lines is .