I keep getting “Cross product” questions wrong in Vectors & 3D Geometry. What's the trap?
expecting the cross product to be a scalar.
The usual trap: expecting the cross product to be a scalar. How to avoid it: cross product → vector; its length is the parallelogram's area. Go back to the definition — a×b = |a||b|sinθ·n̂ gives a vector perpendicular to both a and b.
Key point
Cross product
Common mistake
expecting the cross product to be a scalar.
Memory tip
cross product → vector; its length is the parallelogram's area.
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