The Dance of the Parabola and the Triangle
A Geometric Journey
Welcome, future engineer. Today, we are not just solving a coordinate geometry problem; we are witnessing a beautiful, precise dance between a curve and a polygon.
We have a moving point P defined by the coordinates (α,α2). This point is shackled to the path of the standard parabola y=x2.
Our mission is to find the specific values of α that allow this point to reside strictly within the sanctuary of a triangle formed by three lines:
L1:2x+3y−1=0,
L2:x+2y−3=0, and
L3:5x−6y−1=0.
Mapping the Territory
Before we dive into the algebra, we must understand our boundaries. A triangle is defined by its vertices, which we find by solving the pairwise intersections of our lines.
Solving L1 and L2 gives us vertex A(−7,5).
Solving L2 and L3 gives us vertex B(45,87).
Solving L1 and L3 gives us vertex C(31,91).
These three points are the pillars of our triangle. They define the cage within which our point P must live.
The 'Same-Side' Condition
The core of the problem lies in defining 'inside' mathematically. If you are inside a triangle, you must be on the same side of each boundary line as the vertex that is opposite to that line.
If we define our lines as functions L(x,y)=ax+by+c, then for a point P to be inside, the sign of L(P) must match the sign of L(opposite vertex).
The Algebraic Siege
Let us tackle this line by line.
For
L1:2x+3y−1=0, the opposite vertex is
B(45,87). Plugging
B into
L1, we get:
2(45)+3(87)−1=833>0
Thus, for
P(α,α2) to be inside, we need
2α+3α2−1>0. Factoring this gives
(3α−1)(α+1)>0, which yields the interval:
α∈(−∞,−1)∪(31,∞)
Next, for
L2:x+2y−3=0, the opposite vertex is
C(31,91). Plugging
C into
L2, we get:
31+2(91)−3=−922<0
Thus, we need
x+2y−3<0. Substituting
P, we get
α+2α2−3<0, or
(2α+3)(α−1)<0. This gives the interval:
α∈(−23,1)
Finally, for
L3:5x−6y−1=0, the opposite vertex is
A(−7,5). Plugging
A into
L3, we get:
5(−7)−6(5)−1=−66<0
Thus, we need
5x−6y−1<0. Substituting
P, we get
5α−6α2−1<0, which rearranges to
6α2−5α+1>0. Factoring this gives
(3α−1)(2α−1)>0, yielding the interval:
α∈(−∞,31)∪(21,∞)
The Final Intersection
We must find the intersection of our three conditions:
1. α∈(−∞,−1)∪(31,∞)
2. α∈(−23,1)
3. α∈(−∞,31)∪(21,∞)
The intersection of the first two conditions gives (−23,−1)∪(31,1). When we intersect this result with the third condition, the region (31,21) is excluded.
We are left with the final, elegant solution:
α∈(−23,−1)∪(21,1)
Take a moment to appreciate this. We have successfully constrained a moving point to a specific, finite region of space using nothing but algebraic inequalities. This is the power of coordinate geometry—turning visual intuition into rigorous, undeniable truth.