What is an area vector and why is it useful?

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I’m taking an introductory course of physics in college (my major has nothing to do with maths nor physics; this is just an elective) and it came out while going over magnetic flux. Any google search I make ends up with some complicated maths explaining what it is which I don’t understand. What does it do, what is it, and why does my square have a vector coming out from the middle of it?

In: Mathematics

8 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

It basically tells you in which direction the area DOESN‘T expand. As a plane area is 2-dimensional you either need two directions to tell where the area is in 3-dimensional space. Or you tell one direction it doesn’t go, each direction that’s perpendicular to that one is inside the area.

Short ELI5: it‘s useful for knowing where the area is and isn’t.

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