3D Geometry / HL

Intersection of Two Planes

Find the line where two non-parallel planes meet.

Method

  1. Find the normal vectors \(\mathbf n_1\) and \(\mathbf n_2\).
  2. The direction vector of the intersection line is \(\mathbf d=\mathbf n_1\times\mathbf n_2\).
  3. Find one point on both planes by solving the simultaneous equations.
  4. Write \(\mathbf r=\mathbf p+\lambda\mathbf d\).

Example structure

For planes \(x+y+z=6\) and \(2x-y+z=3\), the direction vector comes from

\[\begin{pmatrix}1\1\1\end{pmatrix}\times\begin{pmatrix}2\-1\1\end{pmatrix}.\]

Then choose a convenient variable value to find a point on the line.