Question 13 Marks
Three vertices of a parallelogram ABCD are A(3, -1, 2), B(1, 2, -4) and C(-1, 1, 2). Find the coordinates of the fourth vertex.
Answer
View full question & answer→Let D (x, y, z) be the fourth vertex of parallelogram ABCD.
We know that diagonals of a parallelogram bisect each other. So the mid points of AC and BD coincide.

$\therefore$ Coordinates of mid point of $AC \left(\frac{3-1}{2}, \frac{-1+1}{2}, \frac{2+2}{2}\right)$
= (1, 0, 2)
Also coordinates of mid point of $BD \left(\frac{x+1}{2}, \frac{y+2}{2}, \frac{z-4}{2}\right)$
$\therefore \frac{x+1}{2}=1 \Rightarrow x+1=2 \Rightarrow x=1$
$\begin{array}{l}\frac{y+2}{2}=0 \Rightarrow y+2=0 \Rightarrow y=-2 \\ \frac{z-4}{2}=2 \Rightarrow z-4=4 \Rightarrow z=8\end{array}$
Thus the coordinates of point D are (1, -2, 8)
We know that diagonals of a parallelogram bisect each other. So the mid points of AC and BD coincide.

$\therefore$ Coordinates of mid point of $AC \left(\frac{3-1}{2}, \frac{-1+1}{2}, \frac{2+2}{2}\right)$
= (1, 0, 2)
Also coordinates of mid point of $BD \left(\frac{x+1}{2}, \frac{y+2}{2}, \frac{z-4}{2}\right)$
$\therefore \frac{x+1}{2}=1 \Rightarrow x+1=2 \Rightarrow x=1$
$\begin{array}{l}\frac{y+2}{2}=0 \Rightarrow y+2=0 \Rightarrow y=-2 \\ \frac{z-4}{2}=2 \Rightarrow z-4=4 \Rightarrow z=8\end{array}$
Thus the coordinates of point D are (1, -2, 8)