8. Cross Product (aka Vector Product) of 2 Vectors
Suppose we have 2 vectors A and B. These 2 vectors lie on a plane and the unit vector n is normal (at right angles) to that plane.
The cross product (also known as the vector product) of A and B is given by:
A × B = |A| |B| sin θ n
The right hand side represents a vector at right angles to the plane containing vectors A and B.
Note: Some textbooks use the following notation for the cross product: A∧B.
Example
In the earlier application involving a cubic box (see Vectors in 3D Application), we had a unit cube that had one corner at the origin. We found that the diagonal vectors BS and CP meet at an angle of 70.5° at the center of the cube.
Using the same unit cube, find the vector product of the vectors BS and CP.
Didn't find what you are looking for on this page? Try search:
The IntMath Newsletter
Sign up for the free IntMath Newsletter. Get math study tips, information, news and updates each fortnight. Join thousands of satisfied students, teachers and parents!
Math Lessons on DVD
Easy to understand math lessons on DVD. See samples before you commit.
More info: Math videos
Book mark this page
Add this page to Del.icio.us, Furl, Digg, StumbleUpon, Google, whatever...
Need a break? Play a math game. Well, they all involve math... No, really!
