In a 3D Cartesian coordinate system is defined by its origin point \(O\) and three perpendicular axes \(X\), \(Y\) and \(Z\). The location of each point in 3D space can be expressed using coordinates \((x, y, z)\).
1. Left vs Right Handed
We distinguish two kinds of 3D Cartesian coordinate system: left handed and right handed ones. These differ in the orientation of the Z-axis with respect to the \(X\) and \(Y\)-axis.
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Left handed |
Right handed |
The distinction between both becomes apparent when dealing with the cross product. During this course, we will always use the right handed variant.