College Algebra Matrices
Basic Definitions
   Concepts 1

Definition 1
.
A matrix A is a rectangular array of numbers

If there are m rows and n columns, we say that the dimension of the matrix is m x n, and we refer to it as an "m by n matrix", or as a rectangular matrix. An n x n matrix is called a square matrix and is said to be of order n.

An m x n matrix A is often abbreviated as A=(aij)m x n.

The entry, or element, in the ith row and jth column of an m x n matrix A is denoted aij.

The entries a11, a22, a33,... in a square matrix are said to be on the main diagonal of the matrix.


Definition 2
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Two matrices are equal if they have the same dimension and if their corresponding entries are equal.
If A=(aij)m x n and B=(bij)m x n then A=B if and only if aij=bij for all i and j.


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