What are orthogonal vectors?

Orthogonal vectors, also known as perpendicular vectors, are a type of vectors whose dot product or scaler is zero. However, if their cross product is zero, the vectors are said to be parallel.

There are various ways to establish whether or not given vectors are perpendicular to each other. One of the ways to examine this relationship is to plot the given points on a graph and join each to the center of origin. If the joining lines form a right angle, the vectors are orthogonal. Another method that one can use is to calculate the cross product of the two vectors.