Matrices - Class 12 Notes
A matrix is a rectangular arrangement of numbers, symbols, or expressions in rows and
columns. It is an essential concept in linear algebra and is widely used in physics,
engineering, and computer science.
1. Definition of a Matrix
A matrix is a set of numbers arranged in m rows and n columns. It is denoted as:
[ A = \begin{bmatrix} a_{11} & a_{12} & \dots & a_{1n} \ a_{21} & a_{22} & \dots & a_{2n}
\ \vdots & \vdots & \ddots & \vdots \ a_{m1} & a_{m2} & \dots & a_{mn} \end{bmatrix} ]
where ( a_{ij} ) represents the element in the i-th row and j-th column.
• Order of a Matrix: If a matrix has m rows and n columns, it is called an m × n
matrix.
• Element of a Matrix: Each number in a matrix is called an element.
2. Types of Matrices
1. Row Matrix: A matrix with only one row.
[ A = \begin{bmatrix} 1 & 2 & 3 \end{bmatrix} \quad \text{(Order: 1 × 3)} ]
2. Column Matrix: A matrix with only one column.
[ B = \begin{bmatrix} 4 \ 5 \ 6 \end{bmatrix} \quad \text{(Order: 3 × 1)} ]
3. Square Matrix: A matrix where number of rows = number of columns (m = n).
[ C = \begin{bmatrix} 1 & 2 \ 3 & 4 \end{bmatrix} \quad \text{(Order: 2 × 2)} ]
4. Diagonal Matrix: A square matrix where all non-diagonal elements are zero.
[ D = \begin{bmatrix} 1 & 0 & 0 \ 0 & 2 & 0 \ 0 & 0 & 3 \end{bmatrix} ]
5. Scalar Matrix: A diagonal matrix where all diagonal elements are equal.
[ E = \begin{bmatrix} 5 & 0 \ 0 & 5 \end{bmatrix} ]
6. Identity Matrix (Unit Matrix): A square matrix where all diagonal elements are 1,
and all other elements are 0.
[ I = \begin{bmatrix} 1 & 0 \ 0 & 1 \end{bmatrix} ]
7. Zero (Null) Matrix: A matrix in which all elements are zero.
[ O = \begin{bmatrix} 0 & 0 \ 0 & 0 \end{bmatrix} ]
8. Triangular Matrices:
a. Upper Triangular: All elements below the diagonal are zero.
b. Lower Triangular: All elements above the diagonal are zero.
9. Transpose of a Matrix (( A^T )): Interchanging the rows and columns.
[ A = \begin{bmatrix} 1 & 2 \ 3 & 4 \end{bmatrix} \quad \Rightarrow \quad A^T =
\begin{bmatrix} 1 & 3 \ 2 & 4 \end{bmatrix} ]
3. Operations on Matrices
(i) Addition of Matrices
• Two matrices can be added if they have the same order.
• Add corresponding elements:
[ A + B = \begin{bmatrix} a_{11} + b_{11} & a_{12} + b_{12} \ a_{21} + b_{21} & a_{22} + b_{22}
\end{bmatrix} ]
(ii) Subtraction of Matrices
• Similar to addition, subtract corresponding elements.
(iii) Scalar Multiplication
• Multiply each element by a scalar ( k ):
[ kA = k \begin{bmatrix} a_{11} & a_{12} \ a_{21} & a_{22} \end{bmatrix} = \begin{bmatrix} k
a_{11} & k a_{12} \ k a_{21} & k a_{22} \end{bmatrix} ]
(iv) Multiplication of Matrices
Two matrices A (m × n) and B (n × p) can be multiplied if the number of columns of A =
number of rows of B.
• The result is an m × p matrix.
• Formula:
[ (AB){ij} = \sum{k=1}^{n} a_{ik} b_{kj} ]
• Example:
[ A = \begin{bmatrix} 1 & 2 \ 3 & 4 \end{bmatrix}, \quad B = \begin{bmatrix} 5 & 6 \ 7 & 8
\end{bmatrix} ] [ AB = \begin{bmatrix} (1×5 + 2×7) & (1×6 + 2×8) \ (3×5 + 4×7) & (3×6 + 4×8)
\end{bmatrix} ] [ = \begin{bmatrix} 19 & 22 \ 43 & 50 \end{bmatrix} ]
4. Determinant of a Matrix
The determinant of a square matrix ( A ) is a scalar value that helps in solving linear
equations and finding inverses.
For a 2 × 2 matrix:
[ A = \begin{bmatrix} a & b \ c & d \end{bmatrix} ] [ \det(A) = ad - bc ]
For a 3 × 3 matrix:
[ A = \begin{bmatrix} a_{11} & a_{12} & a_{13} \ a_{21} & a_{22} & a_{23} \ a_{31} & a_{32} &
a_{33} \end{bmatrix} ] [ \det(A) = a_{11}(a_{22}a_{33} - a_{23}a_{32}) - a_{12}(a_{21}a_{33} -
a_{23}a_{31}) + a_{13}(a_{21}a_{32} - a_{22}a_{31}) ]
5. Inverse of a Matrix (( A^{-1} ))
A square matrix ( A ) is invertible if:
[ A^{-1} = \frac{1}{\det(A)} \times \text{adj}(A) ] where adj(A) is the adjugate matrix
(transpose of the cofactor matrix).
• The inverse exists only if ( \det(A) \neq 0 ).
6. Properties of Matrices
1. ( (A^T)^T = A )
2. ( (A + B)^T = A^T + B^T )
3. ( (AB)^T = B^T A^T )
4. ( (kA)^T = kA^T )
5. ( A(B+C) = AB + AC )
6. ( AB \neq BA ) (Matrix multiplication is not commutative)
7. Applications of Matrices
• Solving linear equations (Cramer's Rule, Inverse Matrix Method)
• Computer graphics (3D transformations)
• Physics (quantum mechanics, relativity)
• Machine learning & AI (neural networks)
• Cryptography (encoding messages)
These notes provide a clear and structured understanding of Matrices. Let me know if you
need more details or solved examples!
