The cross product, also known as vector product, is a mathematical operation between two vectors that results in a new vector that is perpendicular to both input vectors.
The dot product yields a scalar value, while the cross product yields a vector value. Additionally, the dot product is commutative, whereas the cross product is anti-commutative.
The cross product can be interpreted as the area of the parallelogram formed by the two input vectors, with the direction of the resulting vector being perpendicular to the plane of the parallelogram.
The cross product is calculated by taking the determinant of a 3x3 matrix, with the first row being the unit vectors i, j, and k, the second row being the components of the first vector, and the third row being the components of the second vector.
Cross product has various applications in physics, engineering, and computer graphics. It is used to calculate torque, magnetic fields, and 3D rotations, among other things.