Cross Product and Area Visualization

Vectors [math]a_v[/math] and [math]b_v[/math] are shown in 2 and 3 dimensions, respectively. You can drag points B and C to change these vectors.[br][br][b]Note: in the 3D view, click on the point twice in order to change its z-coordinate.[/b][br][br]As you change these vectors, observe how the cross product (the vector in red), [math]a_v[/math] [math]\times[/math] [math]b_v[/math], changes. Notice that the magnitude of the cross product is always the same as the area of the parallelogram spanned by [math]a_v[/math] and [math]b_v[/math].

Information: Cross Product and Area Visualization