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 .


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