 Solution

Write $\times$ for the paper's $\wedge$. In a right-handed Cartesian coordinate system, the cross product isIt is perpendicular to both vectors, has norm $|\mathbf{a}||\mathbf{b}|\sin \varphi$, where $\varphi$ is their angle, and has direction given by the right-hand rule when nonzero. Its norm is the area of the parallelogram spanned by the two vectors.

If $\mathbf{b}\times \mathbf{c}\ne 0$, use that parallelogram as the base of the parallelepiped. Its perpendicular height is $|\mathbf{a}\cdot \mathbf{n}|$, where $\mathbf{n}=(\mathbf{b}\times \mathbf{c})/|\mathbf{b}\times \mathbf{c}|$. Thus its volume isIf $\mathbf{b}\times \mathbf{c}=0$, both the volume and this scalar triple product vanish. If the cross product is nonzero, the scalar triple product vanishes exactly when $\mathbf{a}$ lies in the plane spanned by $\mathbf{b},\mathbf{c}$. If it is zero, $\mathbf{b},\mathbf{c}$ are linearly dependent, and adjoining $\mathbf{a}$ still spans at most a plane. Consequently the three vectors are coplanar if and only if $\mathbf{a}\cdot (\mathbf{b}\times \mathbf{c})=0$, including cases involving a zero vector.