Describing Matrices (Rows and Columns)

A matrix consists of a set of numbers arranged in rows and columns enclosed in brackets.

The order of a matrix gives the number of rows followed by the number of columns in a matrix. The order of a matrix with 3 rows and 2 columns is 3 2 or 3 by 2.

We usually denote a matrix by a capital letter.

C is a matrix of order 2 × 4 (read as ‘2 by 4’)

Elements In An Array

Each number in the array is called an entry or an element of the matrix. When we need to read out the elements of an array, we read it out row by row.

Each element is defined by its position in the matrix.

In a matrix A, an element in row i and column j is represented by a_ij

Example:

a₁₁ (read as ‘a one one ’)= 2 (first row, first column)

a₁₂ (read as ‘a one two') = 4 (first row, second column)

a₁₃ = 5, a₂₁ = 7, a₂₂ = 8, a₂₃ = 9

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