An Introduction On Matrices

Hey guys. Since we are talking about Linear Algebra here, let's go with what we call a "matrix".

First of all, what is this Matrix?

 Secondly, NO.

It is not the movie with Keanu Reeves. I'm not going to give you a dictionary definition of matrix, but I'll instead give you a picture.

Tadah. That's a matrix. Looks pretty simple, right? There's a general formula for the matrix, but then you'd just scratch your head and go "WHAT?!", so I'm just gonna give you the intro.

A matrix, like any other thing in the world, has parts. There're the

• ROWS
• COLUMNS
• MAIN DIAGONAL
• ELEMENTS OF A MATRIX
• UPPER TRIANGULAR OF A MATRIX
• LOWER TRIANGULAR OF A MATRIX

These parts are pretty easy to define. Elements are just the numbers/things inside the matrix. If you cut a matrix in half, the elements run over is the main diagonal. Then, like a sandwich, there's the upper part and lower part cut off. Those are the upper and lower triangular of a matrix. Nothing much, really.

Now, why would we need to learn these matrices, anyway? We've already got this:

And that's just one of the formulas to remember. It's pretty simple really, with the matrix, you can:

• Solve as many linear equations as you want!
• Find the correct quadratic equation for those pesky graphs!
• Balance a chemistry equation with an actual formula!
• Always know where you are, thanks to your GPS (global positioning system)!
• Watch all those 3D movies, thanks to the matrix!

So you see, the matrix has many, many uses in everyday life. Well, now that you've gotten oriented to the matrix, let me teach you how to name a matrix.

It's pretty simple really, the number of rows X number of columns. For example:

This matrix's name is 4X6. There are four rows and six columns. See? It isn't that hard.

However, the next step to learning the matrix is quite tricky. Do we use operations on matrices as a whole?

The answer is YES. We do.

However, that topic will be tackled on another day. For now, just enjoy transposing from Keanu Reeves to looking at bunch of rows and columns on a board.

Thanks for reading! I hope you learned a whole lot from this segment!