What is a matrix?
Q: What is a matrix?
A: A matrix is a rectangle of numbers, arranged in rows and columns. The rows are each left-to-right (horizontal) lines, and the columns go top-to-bottom (vertical).
Q: How are matrices represented?
A: Matrices are often represented by capital roman letters such as A, B and C.
Q: What happens when you multiply two matrices together?
A: The product AB does not always give the same result as BA, which is different from multiplying ordinary numbers.
Q: Can a matrix have more than two dimensions?
A: Yes, a matrix can have more than 2 dimensions, such as a 3D matrix. It can also be one-dimensional, as a single row or column.
Q: Where are matrices used?
A: Matrices are used in many natural sciences and computer science, engineering, physics, economics and statistics.
Q: When do universities teach courses about matrices?
A: Universities usually teach courses about matrices (usually called linear algebra) very early on in studies - sometimes even in the first year of studies.
Q: Is it possible to add or subtract matrices together?
A: Yes - there are rules for adding and subtracting matrices together but these rules differ from those for ordinary numbers.
