3. Linear Algebra

This chapter presents the essentials of linear algebra. Starting with a basic introduction to vectors and matrices, we study operations on matrices. Next, we study a linear combination of vectors that underlies the important concepts of matrix rank and independence. We then use these concepts to study the solution of systems of linear equations. Linear algebra plays a critical role in modeling processes as linear transformations, which we study next. We focus on an intuitive understanding of eigenvalues and eigenvectors. We conclude with a description of stochastic matrices that arise frequently in models of computer networking systems.

3.1. Vectors and Matrices

Consider two runs of an experiment in which a researcher collects ...

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