| Matrix Algebra: Introduction |
Matrix Algebra: Introduction
Matrices and Determinants were discovered and developed in the eighteenth and
nineteenth centuries. Initially, their development dealt with transformation of
geometric objects and solution of systems of linear equations. Historically, the
early emphasis was on the determinant, not the matrix. In modern treatments of
linear algebra, matrices are considered first. We will not speculate much on
this issue. Matrices provide a theoretically and practically useful way of approaching many
types of problems including:
- Solution of Systems of Linear Equations,
- Equilibrium of Rigid Bodies (in physics),
- Graph Theory,
- Theory of Games,
- Leontief Economics Model,
- Forest Management,
- Computer Graphics, and Computed Tomography,
- Genetics,
- Cryptography,
- Electrical Networks,
- Fractals.
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