What is the difference between the dot product and cross product of two vectors?
Open in App
Solution
Dot Product: The dot product (→a.→b) of two vectors →a and →b is a scalar quantity.
We can calculate the dot product as: →a.→b=|→a||→b|cos(θ) where: Here, |→a| is the magnitude of vector →a. |→b| is the magnitude of vector →b. θ is the angle between →a and →b.
Cross Product: The cross product (→a×→b) of two vectors →a and →b is another vector that is at right angles to both these vectors.
We can calculate the cross product as: |→a×→b|=|→a||→b|sin(θ) Here, |→a| is the magnitude of vector →a. |→b| is the magnitude of vector →b. θ is the angle between →a and →b. The direction is given by right-hand rule.