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JEE Main 2003
LEVELJEE Main

Animated Solution for Mathematics - Three Dimensional Geometry: The radius of the circle in which the sphere is cut by the plane is

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Visualized Solution

Visualizing the Sphere-Plane Intersection

  • The intersection of a sphere and a plane is always a circle.
  • Let be the center of the sphere and be its radius.
  • Let be the center of the intersection circle and be its radius.
  • The distance is the perpendicular distance from to the plane.

The Geometry of the Cut

  • In the right-angled triangle , the angle at is .
  • By Pythagoras Theorem, we have:
  • This simplifies to the relation:
  • Solving for the circle's radius:

Finding the Center of the Sphere

  • The general equation of a sphere is .
  • Comparing with :
  • The center is .

Calculating the Sphere's Radius

  • The radius of the sphere is given by:
  • Substitute , , , and :

Perpendicular Distance Formula

  • The perpendicular distance from a point to a plane is:
  • This formula gives the shortest distance from the sphere's center to the cutting plane.

Calculating the Distance

  • Substitute the center and the plane into the formula:

Finding the Circle's Radius

  • Now substitute and into the Pythagoras relation:

Summary of Sphere-Plane Intersections

  • The radius of the intersection circle is .
  • If , the plane passes through the center, forming a Great Circle ().
  • If , the plane is tangent to the sphere ().
  • If , the plane does not intersect the sphere.

The Sigma Insight: Equation of a Plane

Analyzing the Setup

Welcome, fellow traveler of the mathematical cosmos! Today, we are embarking on a journey into the heart of three-dimensional geometry.
Imagine a perfect sphere defined by the equation:
Our mission is to determine the radius of the circle formed when the plane slices through this sphere. This exploration relies on the fundamental symmetry of spatial relationships.

Phase 1

Unmasking the Sphere
To understand the sphere, we compare the given equation to the general form . By identifying the coefficients, we find , , and .
The center of the sphere, , is located at . This point serves as the heart of our sphere.
Next, we calculate the radius using the formula :

Phase 2

The Plane's Intrusion
The plane acts as our cutting tool. To find the radius of the intersection circle, we must first determine the perpendicular distance from the center to this plane.
Using the distance formula , we substitute our values:
Simplifying this expression yields:

Phase 3

The Geometric Bridge
We now utilize the geometric relationship between the sphere's center , the circle's center , and a point on the circle's circumference. These points form a right-angled triangle where the hypotenuse is the sphere's radius , one leg is the distance , and the other leg is the circle's radius .
By the Pythagorean theorem, , which implies . Substituting our known values:
The radius of the intersection circle is 3. This journey demonstrates that even complex 3D problems can be resolved through simple, elegant geometric steps.

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