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Math Definitions - Letter D

Chapters

Dot Product

Definition of Dot Product

The dot product is a way of multiplying two vectors together to give a scalar (just a number). For this reason, it is sometimes called the scalar dot product, or scalar product.

The formula for the dot product is:

\( \mathbf{a} \cdot \mathbf{b} = |\mathbf{a}||\mathbf{b}| \cos (\theta), \)

where \(\theta\) is the angle between the tails of the arrows representing the two vectors.

For example, if the vector \(\mathbf{a}\) has length \(5\), the vector \(\mathbf{b}\) has length \(4\), and the angle between the two vectors is \(60^\circ\), then

\( \mathbf{a} \cdot \mathbf{b} = 5 \times 4 \times \cos(60^\circ) = 5 \times 4 \times 0.5 = 10 \)

Description

The aim of this dictionary is to provide definitions to common mathematical terms. Students learn a new math skill every week at school, sometimes just before they start a new skill, if they want to look at what a specific term means, this is where this dictionary will become handy and a go-to guide for a studen

Audience

Year 1 to Year 12 students

Learning Objectives

Learn common math terms starting with letter D

Author: Subject Coach
Added on: 6th Feb 2018

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