Confused with the principles in Vector Moments - with Pictures

[Trickster_00]

Please use zoom function for better view.

I'd highly appreciate it if you could also add a diagram on your explanation. Thanks!

 

[Polyrhythmic]

1.) Yes, the order does matter. As you correctly pointed out, you get a minus sign if you reverse the order of a cross product.

2.) r, F and the resulting moment form a right handed system: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-hand_rule . The moment is always orthogonal to r and F.

3.) As pointed out in 2.), the moment is always orthogonal to r and F. The same is true for the rotational axis. Therefore the moment is parallel to the rotational axis.