向量的叉积:
假设存在向量u(ux, uy, uz), v(vx, vy, vz), 求同时垂直于向量u, v的向量w(wx, wy, wz).
因为w与u垂直,同时w与v垂直,所以w . u = 0, w . v = 0; 即
uxwx + uywy + uzwz = 0;
vxwx + vywy + vzwz = 0;
分别削去方程组的wy和wx变量的系数,得到如下两个等价方程式:
(uxvy - uyvx)wx = (uyvz - uzvy)wz
(uxvy - uyvx)wy = (uzvx - uxvz)wz
于是向量w的一般解形式为:
w = (wx, wy, wz) = ((uyvz - uzvy)wz / (uxvy - uyvx), (uzvx - uxvz)wz / (uxvy - uyvx), wz)
= (wz / (uxvy - uyvx) * (uyvz - uzvy, uzvx - uxvz, uxvy - uyvx))
因为:
ux(uyvz - uzvy) + uy(uzvx - uxvz) + uz(uxvy - uyvx)
= uxuyvz - uxuzvy + uyuzvx - uyuxvz + uzuxvy - uzuyvx
= (uxuyvz - uyuxvz) + (uyuzvx - uzuyvx) + (uzuxvy - uxuzvy)
= 0 + 0 + 0 = 0
vx(uyvz - uzvy) + vy(uzvx - uxvz) + vz(uxvy - uyvx)
= vxuyvz - vxuzvy + vyuzvx - vyuxvz + vzuxvy - vzuyvx
= (vxuyvz - vzuyvx) + (vyuzvx - vxuzvy) + (vzuxvy - vyuxvz)
= 0 + 0 + 0 = 0
由此可知,向量(uyvz - uzvy, uzvx - uxvz, uxvy - uyvx)是同时垂直于向量u和v的。
为此,定义向量u = (ux, uy, uz)和向量 v = (vx, vy, vz)的叉积运算为:u x v = (uyvz - uzvy, uzvx - uxvz, uxvy - uyvx)
上面计算的结果可简单概括为:向量u x v垂直于向量u和v。
根据叉积的定义,沿x坐标轴的向量i = (1, 0, 0)和沿y坐标轴的向量j = (0, 1, 0)的叉积为:
i x j = (1, 0, 0) x (0, 1, 0) = (0 * 0 - 0 * 1, 0 * 0 - 1 * 0, 1 * 1 - 0 * 0) = (0, 0, 1) = k
同理可计算j x k:
j x k = (0, 1, 0) x (0, 0, 1) = (1 * 1 - 0 * 0, 0 * 0 - 0 * 1, 0 * 0 - 0 * 0) = (1, 0, 0) = i
以及k x i:
k x i = (0, 0, 1) x (1, 0, 0) = (0 * 0 - 1 * 0, 1 * 1 - 0 * 0, 0 * 0 - 0 * 0) = (0, 1, 0) = j
由叉积的定义,可知:
v x u = (vyuz - vzuy, vzux - vxuz, vxuy - vyux) = - (u x v)