Dot Product Calculator Quandry

In summary, the conversation discusses the issue of calculating the dot product of two complex vectors. The person initially gets different results when using a calculator versus doing it by hand and wonders what they are doing wrong. It is then explained that for complex inner product, one must take the conjugate of the second argument. This ensures that the inner product of a vector with itself always results in a real number, which is known as the norm.
  • #1
infraray
23
0
I'm going nuts here and I can't figure this out. I have two complex vectors:
A=(1+i)x + (1)y +(i)z
B=(4-i)x +(0)y + (2-2i)z
If I do the dot product of these on my calculator I get 1 + 7i, however when I do this by hand I keep getting 7 +5i. What am I doing wrong? When figuring this out by hand I am going by the assumption that AB=AxBx + AyBy + AzBz.
 
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  • #2
Are you using parentheses properly?
 
  • #3
I figured it out. I need to take the conjugate of the second vector. This is sure going to get confusing with Quantum Mechanics!
 
  • #4
infraray said:
I figured it out. I need to take the conjugate of the second vector.

Yes that's correct, for a complex inner product you take the conjugate of the second argument. It's defined that way so that if you take the inner product of a vector with itself then you'll always end up with just a real number. This real number is called the "norm" and is a generalized measure of the length of the vector.
 
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1. What is a dot product?

A dot product is a mathematical operation that takes two vectors and produces a single scalar value. It is also known as an inner product or scalar product.

2. How is the dot product calculated?

The dot product is calculated by multiplying the corresponding components of two vectors and adding them together. For example, if we have vectors A and B with components (a1, a2, a3) and (b1, b2, b3) respectively, the dot product would be calculated as a1*b1 + a2*b2 + a3*b3.

3. What is the purpose of a dot product calculator?

A dot product calculator is used to quickly and accurately calculate the dot product of two vectors. This can be useful in various mathematical and scientific applications, such as calculating work done in physics or finding the angle between two vectors.

4. Can a dot product be negative?

Yes, a dot product can be negative. This occurs when the angle between the two vectors is greater than 90 degrees. If the angle is less than 90 degrees, the dot product will be positive, and if the angle is exactly 90 degrees, the dot product will be zero.

5. How is the dot product related to vector projection?

The dot product is used in the formula for vector projection, which is used to find the component of one vector in the direction of another vector. The dot product of two vectors divided by the magnitude of the second vector gives us the magnitude of the projected vector. This allows us to find the specific component of a vector that is parallel to another vector.

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