3D in Geogebra vector components

Paul Robinson, IT Tallaght

Websites
Geogebra Homepage: http://www.geogebra.org/cms/
Use the Appletstart Version o Geogebra or !ownloa! a stan! alone "ersion.
Geogebra #orum: http://www.geogebra.org/orum/
$ommunit% o Geogebra users, bug reports an! eature re&uests
Geogebra #aceboo' Group: http://www.aceboo'.com/home.php()/geogebra
Prett% acti"e, conerence news, lots o helpul stu
Geogebra *i'i: http://www.geogebra.org/en/wi'i/in!e+.php/,nglish
$ollection o re-usable teaching resources
Uni"ersit% o .imeric': http://www.ul.ie/cemtl/resources.htm
,+cellent GeoGebra step b% step !emos
/ath 012: http://math012.pbwor's.com/.earn-an!-Use-GeoGebra
#antastic 3tep-b%-3tep Help on How to Use GeoGebra b% 4r .in!a #ahlberg-
3to5ano"s'a. Inclu!es accessing Geogebra properties an! metho!s using 6a"ascript
7 "er% cool.
.aTe8 online e&uation e!itor:
http://www.numberempire.com/te+e&uatione!itor/e&uatione!itor.php
In!ispensible i %ou want to put mathematics into /oo!le an! !on9t 'now an%
.aTe+)
Introduction
Geogebra can !o a prett% goo! 5ob o representing :4 ob5ects, allowing rotations an!
!ilations to "iew things rom !ierent angles an! to ;oom in. These notes are base! on a
construction b% /ichele Passante <http://www.mateblog.it/=p>:20?.
#irst a bit o theor%: .et
x
y
z
p
P p
p


=



be a point in :4 space. The :4 rotation matrices about
the +, % an! ; a+is are
@ A A
A
A
x
R cos(a) sin(a)
sin(a) cos(a)


=




A
A @ A
A
y
cos(b) sin(b)
R
sin(b) cos(b)


=




A
A
A A @
z
cos(c) sin(c)
R sin(c) cos(c)


=



where a, b an! c are angles between A
o
an! :BA
o
. The rotation R
8
will rotate P in the
hori;ontal plane anticloc'wise about the "ertical ; a+is through an angle o a, an!
similarl% or R
%
an! R
;
. I we rotate P and the +, %, ; coor!inate rame using R we can
interpret the result as a rotate! view o the original point P. This is what we will !o in the
construction which ollows.
*e will write a general rotation as
z y x
R R R R =
, which will allow us to rotate about the :
a+es. Cote that the : rotations !o not commute with each other, meaning that i we write
them in a !ierent or!er the result will generall% be slightl% !ierent) This will not
matter in terms o using rotations to "iew :4 ob5ects.
Ater rotation the point P will ha"e :4 coor!inate
x
y
z
q
RP q
q


=



where the & coor!inates now !epen! on the angles a, b an! c. To see what this loo's li'e
in 04 <on the screen)? we simpl% want two o the coor!inates o RP. I we imagine the +
a+is pointing out o the screen towar!s us then the screen coor!inates are %, ;. This
means we nee! to plot the point
y
z
q
Q
q

=



.
This construction is DE, but it is not "er% le+ible. As well as F we will want to e+tract
some other inormation rom the :4 point RP, an! it is not eas% to !o in GeoGebra with RP
in this orm. Instea! we will start with
@ A A
A @ A
A A @
x
y x y z x x y y z z
z
p
P p p p p p E p E p E
p




= = + + = + +





Cow
x x y y z z
RP p RE p RE p RE = + +
. *e can now thin' o
x
p
as the component o the
rotate! P in the !irection o the rotate! a+is
x
RE
. I we let W
x
be the 04 "ector with
components the % an! ; coor!inates o RE
x
, an! similarl% or W
y
an! W
z
then we ha"e
x x y y z z
Q p W p W p W = + +
The "ectors
an!
x x y y z z
p W , p W p W
are the components o the rotate! P along the rotate!
a+is as "iewe! on the screen.
*e will construct the rotation o a :4 point P with its a+is rame. The point P !oes not
change its position, 5ust our rotate! "iew o it changes.
Creating a 3D axis frame
@. Put on sli!ers or angles a, b, c an! another name! ! which will be use! to lengthen
an! shorten our a+es:
$lic' on the slider tool then on the !rawing pa!. $all it a an! select the angle
option. Go with the !eault o A
o
to :BA
o
.
Repeat or sli!ers b an! c.
$reate another sli!er calle! ! with a Cumber "alue rom A.G to G in steps o A.@.
Right clic' the sli!ers <or their "alues in the let han! win!ow? i %ou want to change their
properties.
clic' on the object selection tool i %ou want to mo"e the sli!ers aroun!.
0. Put in unit "ectors along the +, % an! ; a+es.
In the input line at the bottom o the screen t%pe
E_x = {{1! {"! {" press return
This represents the colun "ector
+
@
, A
A


=



. A row o numbers woul! be written as
H@, A, AI. *e nee! a column as we want to multipl% b% a matri+.
Repeat the input or
E_# = {{"! {1! {" an! E_$ = {{"! {"! {1

:. Put in the rotation matrices R
+
, R
%
an! R
;
an! the !ilation matri+ 4
In the input line t%pe
%_x = {{1! "! "! {"! cos&a'! (sin&a'! {"! sin&a'! cos&a' press return
%_# = {{cos&b'! "! (sin&b'! {"! 1! "! {sin&b'! "! cos&b' press return
%_$ = {{cos&c'! (sin&c'! "! {sin&c'! cos&c'! "! {"! "! 1 press return
#or the general rotation t%pe
% = %_$)%_#)%_x press return
1. $reate our a+es
In the input line t%pe
*_x = %)E_x press return
This will rotate <an! !ilate? the unit "ector ,J+ which is pointing along the +-a+is.
Repeat or
*_# = %)E_# an! *_$ = %)E_$
Cow we nee! to see what that loo's li'e on the screen. The "ectors VJ+, VJ% an! VJ; are
column "ectors. As mentione! in the intro!uction we want the 0
n!
an! :
r!
components o
our :4 "ectors to create a point on the screen.
This is probabl% a goo! point to turn o labeling. Go to Dptions, labeling an! clic' on Co
Cew Db5ects.
In the input line t%pe
W_x = &E+ement,E+ement,*_x!-.!1.! E+ement,E+ement,*_x!3.!1.'
an! press return.
,lementKVJ+,0L is the secon! number in VJ+, which is itsel a list H I consisting o @
number. *e want the MirstN number in that list. The roun! brac'ets in *J+ mean that we
now ha"e a point in 04 which %ou shoul! see on the screen.
Repeat or
W_# = &E+ement,E+ement,*_#!-.!1.! E+ement,E+ement,*_#!3.!1.'
W_$ = &E+ement,E+ement,*_$!-.!1.! E+ement,E+ement,*_$!3.!1.'
In the input line t%pe
u = vector,d)W_x. press return
Repeat or v = vector,d)W_#. an! / = vector,d)W_$..
Hi!e the points *J+, *J% an! *J; b% clic'ing on the circles ne+t to their !einition in the
let han! win!ow.
$lic' on the object !election "ool then mo"e sli!ers a an! b to :A
o
, ollowe! b% mo"ing c.
3ee that ! ma'es things bigger an! smaller.
G. /a'e the a+es loo' a bit nicer.
Go to View an! clic' on A+es to remo"e the !eault GeoGebra a+es.
Right clic' on the u "ector <!o it in the !einition in the let han! win!ow? an! go to
Properties at the bottom o the list. Use ctrl or shi#t to select u, " an! w in the "ector list
simultaneousl%. 3et the $olour to !ar' blue an! the 3t%le line thic'ness to G.
In the input line t%pe 7u an! press return. 4o the same or 7" an! 7w.
3elect these : new "ectors as beore, lea"e the colour on blac' an! the line thic'ness as
thin but change the line st%le to ine !ots.
*e also nee! to label our a+es. $lic' on the small arrow at the bottom o the !lider "ool
an! select the $nsert "ext option. $lic' on the screen an%where an! t%pe 8 or the
te+t. Cow right clic' the 8 te+t, go to Properties an! Position. In the 3tarting Point bo+
t%pe 0O*J+. Pou ma% use the mouse to mo"e the 8 te+t slightl% but as %ou mo"e the sli!er
controls a, b, c an! ! it shoul! ollow the arrow hea! o the +-a+is.
Repeat this te+t insert or P <3tarting position 0O*J%? an! Q <3tarting position 0O*J;?.
As a inal lourish t%pe
0o+#gon,d)&W_x1W_#'! d)&(W_x1W_#'! d)&(W_x(W_#'! d)&W_x(W_#'.
An! press return.
Right clic' each si!e o this pol%gon an! clic' o 3how Db5ect.
Use the Pannin% "ool <clic' it then !rag on the screen? i %ou want to centre %our
construction a little. $lic' the little arrow on the panning tool to bring up the &oo $n
an! &oo 'ut "ools <clic' then clic' the screen? i %ou want %our picture bigger or
smaller.
*e can now put other ob5ects on our a+es rame li'e points, lines an! planes an! see
what the% loo' li'e in :4. *e can also ma'e geometric ob5ects e.g. a cube ma!e up o
corners <points? an! aces <pol%gons?.
I++ustrating a *ector in 3D
In the input line t%pe the column "ector
0 = {{1! {1! {1
As !iscusse! in the intro!uction this will ha"e the screen coor!inate
x x y y z z
Q p W p W p W = + +
. In the input line t%pe
p_x = E+ement,E+ement,0! 1.! 1.
p_# = E+ement,E+ement,0! -.! 1.
p_$ = E+ement,E+ement,0! 3.! 1.
2 = p_x)W_x 1 p_#)W_# 1 p_$)W_$
An! press return ater each line.
Hi!e the point F <clic' the circle ne+t to it in the let han! win!ow?.
In the input line t%pe
*ector,2.
*e can also put in some components o this "ector. The pro5ection <sha!ow? o P on the +-
% plane is the irst 0 terms o F i.e.
+
x x y y
p W p W
.
In the input line t%pe
2_{x# > p_x)W_x 1 p_#)W_#
An! hi!e the point FJH+%I. Cow t%pe
3egment,&"! "'! 2_{x#.
an!
3egment,2_{x#! 2.
/a'e these two segments ha"e the ine !otte! line st%le an!, possibl%, change their
colour.
4ore e+ements on t5e 3creen
@. $omponents o P along the +, % an! ; a+es woul! be
an!
x x y y z
p W , p W p W
respecti"el%,
which %ou coul! also put on the picture. Pou coul! then ma'e segments between these
points an! F.
I %ou want to put the component "alues o P on the a+es then, or the + component,
<a? /a'e a te+tbo+ an! t%pe the te+t pJ+
<b? /a'e the starting position pJ+O*J+
Repeat or the % an! ; components. GeoGebra will interpret the te+t pJ+ as its numerical
"alue.
Pou shoul! now be able to go bac' to the !einition o P an! change the numbers to see
other "ectors.
0. $reate a secon! point P
@
<with 04 point F
@
? constructe! li'e P. The line through these
points is then create! using the comman! .ineKF, F
@
L.
:. $reate : points F
@
, F
0
an! F
:
an! 5oin them with the pol%gon comman!. This will be
the plane through the correspon!ing :4 points P
@
, P
0
an! P
:
.