I've researched lots of places and still cannot wrap my head around the cross product.
The closest thing I have to an understanding of the cross product is that its a measure of how orthogonal two vectors are. But there are still lots of things about the cross product I dont understand.
Why do we make the product vector perpendicular to the plane formed by the multiplying vectors? How does that relate to the determinant of a 3x3 matrix?
I get that this is a very vague and general question, but If someone could help me understand why the cross product is defined the way it is and whats its meaning, or refer me to a good source, which again, I've tried reading several explanations, that would be highly appreciated. I'm happy to clear up anything that is unclear about my question