The normal is calculated as the cross product of two vectors, and is
anti-commutative. That means

aXb is not equal to bXa
(where X stands for the crossproduct operator)

If you're not familiar with vector math, think of ;

'a' as being the side of a triangle (vector)  from vertex 0 to vertex 1
'b' as being the side of a triangle (vector) from vertex 0 to vertex 2

you can find the direction of the cross product (or normal) with the right
hand rule. If you change the order of calculating the crossproduct, you find
the direction with your left hand rule.

If none of this makes sense,
 Here's a link that goes into more depth;

http://members.tripod.com/~Paul_Kirby/vector/Vcrossproduct.html#findnormal

regards, Peter

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