Question:medium

The angle between the lines whose direction ratios are $a, b, c$ and $b - c, c - a, a - b$ is

Show Hint

Whenever you see a cyclic pattern in coordinates like $(b-c, c-a, a-b)$, taking the dot product with $(a, b, c)$ will typically result in zero due to cyclic cancellation.
Updated On: Apr 29, 2026
  • $90^\circ$
  • $45^\circ$
  • $30^\circ$
  • $0^\circ$
Show Solution

The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

Given the direction ratios of two lines: \((a, b, c)\) and \((b - c, c - a, a - b)\). We need to find the angle between these two lines.

The cosine of the angle \(\theta\) between two lines with direction ratios \((p_1, q_1, r_1)\) and \((p_2, q_2, r_2)\) is given by:

\(\cos(\theta) = \frac{p_1 p_2 + q_1 q_2 + r_1 r_2}{\sqrt{p_1^2 + q_1^2 + r_1^2} \sqrt{p_2^2 + q_2^2 + r_2^2}}\)

Substitute the given direction ratios:

\(\cos(\theta) = \frac{a(b-c) + b(c-a) + c(a-b)}{\sqrt{a^2 + b^2 + c^2} \sqrt{(b-c)^2 + (c-a)^2 + (a-b)^2}}\)

Simplifying the numerator:

\(a(b-c) + b(c-a) + c(a-b) = ab - ac + bc - ab + ca - cb\)

All terms cancel out, so the numerator becomes 0:

\(ab - ac + bc - ab + ca - cb = 0\)

Thus, the cosine of the angle is:

\(\cos(\theta) = \frac{0}{\sqrt{a^2 + b^2 + c^2} \sqrt{(b-c)^2 + (c-a)^2 + (a-b)^2}} = 0\)

When \(\cos(\theta) = 0\), the angle \(\theta\) is \(90^\circ\).

Thus, the correct answer is: 90°.

Was this answer helpful?
0