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Matrices

Vocabulary

augmented matrix

matrix formed from two given matrices by writing the columns of the first matrix to the left of a vertical line and the columns of the second matrix to the right of the vertical line

determinant

value calculated from the entries (or numbers) of a square matrix that provides information about the inverse of the matrix and the system of linear equations associated with the matrix

dimensions

numbers of rows and columns of a matrix, written in the form m×nm\times n, where mm is the number of rows and nn is the number of columns

entry

each number in a matrix

identity matrix

square matrix in which the numbers along the main diagonal, from the top left corner to the bottom right corner of the matrix, are ones and the other numbers are zeros

inverse matrix

for a square matrix AA, the matrix A1A^{-1}, such that AA1=A1A=IAA^{-1} = A^{-1}A = I, where II is the identity matrix

matrix

rectangular array of numbers, enclosed by brackets

matrix product

product of two or more matrices

reduced row-echelon form

form of an augmented matrix in which the left side is the identity matrix

row operations

operations that can be performed on a row of an augmented matrix to generate an equivalent matrix

scalar

real number or a quantity that can be represented by a real number

scalar product

product of a matrix and a real number called a scalar

square matrix

matrix that has the same number of rows and columns