13

Systems of linear equations, matrices, and determinants

13.1 Introduction

The widespread use of computers to solve engineering problems means that it is important to be able to represent problems in a form suitable for solution by a computer. Matrices are used to represent: systems of linear equations; transformations used in computer graphics or for robotic control; road, electrical and communication networks, and stresses and strains in materials. A matrix is a rectangular array of numbers of dimension m × n where m is the number of rows and n is the number of columns in the matrix. Matrices are also useful because they enable us to consider an array of numbers as a single object, represent it by a single symbol, and manipulate these symbols ...

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