How do you use the right-hand rule for determining the correct direction of a vector cross product?

Question

btaylor · Answer

I can't really explain it well, but I found this. Read pages 12 and 13 https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http%3A%2F%2Focw.mit.edu%2Fcourses%2Fphysics%2F8-01sc-physics-i-classical-mechanics-fall-2010%2Fcartesian-coordinates-and-vectors%2FMIT8_01SC_coursenotes03.pdf

anonymous · Answer

Thank you!

anonymous · Answer

There are a couple variations. Here's the one I use: http://joeflip4.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/cross_product.jpg This is for evaluating the direction of $\vec c = \vec a \times \vec b$. Note that you must sweep your fingers in the order that the vectors are written on paper. If you have $\vec b \times \vec a$, for instance, the vector will point in the opposite direction with the same magnitude.