Cross & Dot Products in Physics: A Comprehensive Guide

[willydavidjr]

Can someone help me understand about the cross product and dot product? And how and where can I apply it in physics in solving problems.

 

[neutrino]

I think this will help you - http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/vect.html#veccon

 

[willydavidjr]

There isn't any dot product or cross product there?

 

[Hootenanny]

The dot product is also known as the scalar product and the cross product is also know as the vector product.

~H

 

[FredGarvin]

The simplest way to think of them is that a dot product gives the projection of one vector onto another. It is a scalar quantity, i.e. how much of vector A is in the same direction as vector B?

The cross product gives you a vector that is perpendicular to the original vectors.

Vectors are everywhere. Look in mechanics, electricity and magnetism...look everywhere.