Product of Two Vectors:

The product of two vectors is of two kinds.

i. Scalar or Dot Product.
ii. Vector or Cross Product.

Scalar or Dot Product:

r r r r r
The scalar or dot product of two vectors A and B is denoted by A . B and is read as A dot
r
B. r r
It is defined as the product of the magnitudes of the two vectors A and B and the cosine of
their included angle θ
r r
Thus, A . B = ABcosθ (a scalar quantity)

Important points regarding dot product:

The following points should be remembered regarding the dot product.
r r r r
i. A.B = B.A
r r r r r r r
ii. A.(B + C) = A.B + A.C
r r
iii. A.A = A 2 ( θ = 00 )
iv. ˆi.iˆ = ˆj.jˆ = k.k
ˆ ˆ =1
v. ˆi.jˆ = ˆj.kˆ = k.i
ˆ ˆ=0
r r
vi. If A = A x ˆi + A y ˆj + A z kˆ and B = B x ˆi + B y ˆj + B z kˆ , then
r r
A.B = A x B x + A y B y + A z B z
r r
A.B r r
vii. cos q = ( cosine of the angle between A and B )
AB
viii. Two vectors are perpendicular if their dot product is zero.