A m-by-n matrix is an array of numbers with m rows and n columns. The individual entries in a matrix are called the matrix elements
Two matrices of the same size can be added or subtracted by adding or subtracting
the corresponding elements.
Let the elements of a matrix A be aij
( i = 1 - m, j = 1 - n) and the elements of a matrix B be bij.
The the elements of the sum matrixC = A + B are cij = aij + bij and the elements of the difference
matrix C = A - B are dij = aij - bij.
Two matrices A and B can be multiplied to produce C = AB only if
number of columns of A equals the number of rows of B.
Let A be an m-by-n
matrix and B be an n-by-p matrix.
The product matrix C = AB will have m
rows and p columns.
The rules for matrix multiplication are [AB]ij = cij = ai1b1j + ai2b2j + ai3b3j + ... +ainbnj = ∑k=1n aikbkj.
Example:
Consider the general system of m equations for n variables.
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We can use the rules for matrix multiplication and write the equations in matrix form.
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The coefficient matrix for the system is
.