What angle between u and v will maximize their cross product?

A good answer might be:

90°


Reversing the Order of Operands

 

Review:   To reverse the direction of a vector w, scale it by -1. In other words, w and -w are colinear but point in opposite directions. The diagram shows two cross products, their orientation determined by the right hand rule.

The magnitude of u × v   is  | u | | v | sin θ

The magnitude of v × u   is  | v | | u | sin θ   =  |u||v| sin θ.

So,  u × v   =   -(v × u) .


QUESTION 6:

Does -(v × u) = -v × u ? (Decide this by looking at the diagram and visualizing both sides of the equation).