I am currently learning about matrices in school, and I've run into a bit of a road block: I know how to perform the operations with matrices and all (addition, multiplication, determinants etc...), but i have no idea about WHY a person would want use them!!
Okay, i do understand when a person would use the addition and subtraction of matrices, and why one would use multiplication of an integer with a matrix, and I also know that they can be used to solve systems of equations, but certain aspects about them really confuse like:
-What is the use of multiplying one matrix to another (i.e. you multiply them, you've got a new matrix, but what do those numbers mean to the user?)?
-What exactly does the determinant represent? (i know how it can be used, but what does the determinant tell you about the matrix?)
Sorry about the vagueness of the questions. Guess I can't exactly word them well, but I basically just want to know exactly how these things function (work-related issue)
2007-06-07
06:01:39
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10 answers
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asked by
Eurypt
2
in
Mathematics