Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
Two drones fly along straight paths over a wide field. Positions are in hundreds of metres and time is in minutes. Drone A is at at and moves with velocity . Drone B is at at and moves with velocity . The two paths cross at one point, and a safety officer worries about a collision. Find the coordinates of the crossing point. Find the time at which each drone is at that point. Then find the time when the drones are closest to each other, and the smallest distance between them, in metres. A separation below metres counts as unsafe.
Lines and are coplanar when . If they are also not parallel, they meet at one point, found by solving for and .
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. The crossing point. Equal coordinates give , and . The first two are the same equation, . The third gives , so and . Then , and the point is .
Step 2. The times. Drone A moves with , so it reaches the point at minutes. Drone B moves with , so it reaches it at minutes. The drones are at the crossing point at different times, so they do not collide there.
Step 3. The separation. The vector from B to A at time is . Its squared length is .
Step 4. The minimum. This is smallest when , so minutes. The squared length is then and the distance is hundred metres, which is metres.
Answer: the crossing point is , the drones reach it at and minutes, and they are closest at minutes with a separation of metres. That is safe.
Watch out. The paths intersect, but the drones are never at the same place at the same time. The closest approach happens before either reaches the crossing point.
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