If the square of the shortest distance between the lines x−21=y−12=z+33\frac{x-2}{1}=\frac{y-1}{2}=\frac{z+3}{3} and x+12=y+34=z+55\frac{x+1}{2}=\frac{y+3}{4}=\frac{z+5}{5} is mn\frac{m}{n}, where m,nm, n are coprime numbers, then m+nm+n is equal to:

Answer: 9

Step-by-step solution

Step 1: Identify points and direction vectors

First, we identify the position vectors of points on each line and their respective direction vectors. For the first line, a point on the line is A1(2,1,−3)A_1(2, 1, -3) and its direction vector is b⃗1=i^+2j^+3k^\vec{b}_{1} = \hat{i} + 2\hat{j} + 3\hat{k}. For the second line, a point on the line is A2(−1,−3,−5)A_2(-1, -3, -5) and its direction vector is b⃗2=2i^+4j^+5k^\vec{b}_{2} = 2\hat{i} + 4\hat{j} + 5\hat{k}.

Step 2: Calculate vector connecting points

Next, we calculate the vector connecting a point on the first line to a point on the second line, which is a⃗2−a⃗1\vec{a}_{2} - \vec{a}_{1}. This vector is obtained by subtracting the coordinates of A1A_1 from A2A_2.

Step 3: Calculate cross product of direction vectors

We then compute the cross product of the direction vectors b⃗1\vec{b}_{1} and b⃗2\vec{b}_{2}. This cross product gives a vector that is perpendicular to both direction vectors, which is essential for finding the shortest distance.

Step 4: Calculate shortest distance

The shortest distance dd between two skew lines is given by the formula involving the scalar triple product. We substitute the calculated vectors into the formula and simplify to find the distance.

Step 5: Calculate the square of the shortest distance and m+n

The problem asks for the square of the shortest distance. We square the calculated distance to get 45\frac{4}{5}. Here, m=4m=4 and n=5n=5. Since 4 and 5 are coprime, we find m+n=4+5=9m+n = 4+5=9.

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