Concept understanding — Vector (Cross) Product of Vectors
The vector (cross) product combines two vectors to produce a third vector: A×B=(ABsinθ)n^, where θ is the angle between A and B, and n^ is perpendicular to the plane containing both, its sense fixed by the right-hand (screw) rule — curl the fingers from A toward B through the smaller angle; the thumb gives n^. It is not commutative: A×B=−(B×A). It is maximum (magnitude AB) when the vectors are perpendicular (θ=90°) and zero when they are parallel or anti-parallel (θ=0° or 180°); in particular A×A=0 always. For orthogonal unit vectors, i^×j^=k^, j^×k^=i^, k^×i^=j^ (and the reverse orderings give the negatives). In component form, using the determinant recipe,