Lesson Plan: Cross Product in 2D Mathematics

This lesson plan includes the objectives, prerequisites, and exclusions of the lesson teaching students how to find the cross product of two vectors in the coordinate plane.

Objectives

Students will be able to

  • define the cross product of two vectors as the product of the magnitudes multiplied by the sine of the angle between the vectors,
  • calculate the cross product of two vectors in the coordinate plane using their components (i.e., a 2×2 determinant),
  • understand the properties of the cross product in 2D,
  • use the geometric meaning of cross product to find lengths or areas.

Prerequisites

Students should already be familiar with

  • vectors (components and magnitude),
  • addition and subtraction of vectors,
  • the dot product of 2D vectors.

Exclusions

Students will not cover

  • the cross product of 3D vectors.

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