Lesson 2 - Matrices
Lesson 2 - Matrices
MELC 2: Write a system of linear equations in matrix form and vice versa.
1 5 9
𝐴 = [ ]
4 3 8
We can also write a matrix containing just the coefficients. This is called the
coefficient matrix.
A three-by-three system of equations such as
Notice that the matrix is written so that the variables line up in their own columns:
x-terms go in the first column, y-terms in the second column and z-terms in the
third column. It is very important that each equation is written in standard form so
that the variables line up. When there is missing variable term in an equation, the
coefficient is zero.
NAMING MATRICES
MATRIX DIMENSION
The number of rows and columns that a matrix has is called its dimension
or its order. By convention, rows are listed first; and columns, second. Thus, we
would say, that the dimension (or order) of the matrix below is 3 x 4, meaning
that it has 3 rows and 4 columns.
A row matrix is a matrix having only one row while a column matrix is a
matrix having only one column.
Two matrices are said to be equal only when all the corresponding
elements are equal. Therefore, their size or dimension are equal as well.
Two matrices may be added or subtracted only if they have the same
dimension; that is, they must have the same number of rows and columns.
Addition or subtraction is accomplished by adding or subtracting corresponding
elements. For example, consider matrix A and matrix B.
Both matrices have the same number of rows and columns, so they can be
added or subtracted. Thus,
And,
Note that the order in which the matrices are added is not important; thus,
A + B = B + A.