Definition:Dot Product/Also known as

Dot Product: Also known as

The dot product is also known as:

• The scalar product (but this can be confused with multiplication by a scalar so is less recommended)
• The standard inner product.

Some sources refer to it as just the inner product, but this is a more general term of which the dot product is merely an example.

The symbol used for the dot is variously presented; another version is $\mathbf a \bullet \mathbf b$, which can be preferred if there is ambiguity between the dot product and standard multiplication.

In the complex plane, where it is commonplace to use $\cdot$ to denote complex multiplication, the symbol $\circ$ is often used to denote the dot product.

Sources

• 1964: D.E. Rutherford: Classical Mechanics (3rd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Introduction
• 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): dot product
• 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): scalar product
• 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): dot product
• 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): scalar product