Enter the Matrix - Lesson 1 - What is a Matrix

What is a Matrix

A  matrix is a rectangular  array of numbers arranged in rows and columns , and is at the centre of matrix algebra. Matrix algebra is used quite a bit in 3d game development, largely because it provides two benefits.

1. Compact notation for describing sets of data and sets of equations.
2. Efficient methods for manipulating sets of data and solving sets of equations.

Below shows and example of a Matrix:

	21	62	33	93
	44	95	66	13
	77	38	79	33

The number of rows and columns that a matrix has is called its dimension or its order. By convention, rows are listed first; and columns, second. Thus, we would say that the dimension (or order) of the above matrix is 3 x 4, meaning that it has 3 rows and 4 columns.

The numbers that appear in the rows and columns of a matrix are called the elements of the matrix. In the above example, "21" is element in the first column of the first row.