In linear algebra, the dot product of two vectors is written using the dot product operator. Typically, the dot product appears in an expression like this:
In plain language, this means take the dot product of and . Alternatively, you’ll also see the dot product appear between two column vectors like this:
This also mean takes the dot product of the two vectors, but now the components are explicitly spelled out with values. To compute the dot product of two vectors see this formula.
A vector has many notations in math. When written as a variable it often has an arrow over top. When written as a column vector the components are arranged vertically with brackets.
In linear algebra, the cross product of two vectors is written using the times symbol (×).