Q.The order of the matrix A = [[2, 5, 19, -7], [35, -2, 5, 12]] is:
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Matrix Notation: A First Look
You run a fruit stall selling apples, bananas, and oranges, and you track sales across Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. You could write three separate lists:
- Monday: 10 apples, 5 bananas, 8 oranges
- Tuesday: 7 apples, 12 bananas, 3 oranges
- Wednesday: 9 apples, 6 bananas, 11 oranges
That works but is messy. A matrix is a cleaner way to arrange the same information — a rectangular grid of numbers organised into rows and columns.
The Intuition: A Table of Numbers
Think of a matrix as a spreadsheet:
- Rows represent one category (a day of the week)
- Columns represent another (a type of fruit)
For the stall:
107951268311
The first row is Monday's sales; the second column holds all banana sales across the three days: 5, 12, 6.
A matrix is not a number — it's a collection of numbers in a specific shape. You can't say "this matrix equals 5" any more than "this table equals 5."
The Precise Statement
A matrix is a rectangular array of numbers arranged in m rows and n columns — an m×n matrix (read "m by n"). The numbers inside are its entries or elements. To name a specific entry we use two subscripts: row first, then column.
A=a11a21⋮am1a12a22⋮am2……⋱…a1na2n⋮amn
Here aij is the entry in row i, column j; for example a23 is second row, third column.
A=[aij]m×n
Shorthand for "the matrix A whose entry in row i, column j is aij, with m rows and n columns."
Key Vocabulary
| Term | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Order (size) | rows × columns | 3×3 for the fruit matrix |
| Square matrix | same number of rows and columns | 2×2, 3×3 |
| Row matrix | only one row | [123] (a 1×3 matrix) |
| Column matrix | only one column | 456 (a 3×1 matrix) |
| Zero matrix | all entries are 0 | [0000] |
The order of a matrix is (number of rows) × (number of columns). The given matrix has 2 rows and 4 colu …
The matrix has 2 rows and 4 columns, so its order is 2×4 — option (iv).
Concept. For a matrix, the order is written as (rows)×(columns).
Steps.
- A=[2355−2195−712].
- Count the horizontal lines (rows): there are 2. …
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.The order of the matrix A = [[2, 5, 19, -7], [35, -2, 5, 12]] is:(a)(i) 4x2(b)(ii) 8(c)(iii) 2x3(d)(iv) 2x4
›Reveal solutionSolution
The matrix has 2 rows and 4 columns, so its order is 2×4 — option (iv).
Concept. For a matrix, the order is written as (rows)×(columns).
Steps.
- A=[2355−2195−712].
- Count the horizontal lines (rows): there are 2. …
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markQ.Fill in the blank: A matrix is said to be a column matrix if it has only ______.
›Reveal solutionSolution
A column matrix has a single column.
A matrix of order m×1 (one column, any number of rows) is call …
- CBSE 2025Set A1 markQ.Write definition of scalar matrix.
›Reveal solutionSolution
Scalar matrix = diagonal matrix with all equal diagonal entries.
A square matrix A=[aij] is called a scalar matrix if:
- It is a diagonal matrix, i.e. aij=0 for all i=j (all off-diagonal entries are zero), AND
- All the diagonal entries are equal, i.e. a11=a22=⋯=ann=k for some fixed scalar k. …
- CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.A=[aij]m×n is a column matrix, if -(a) m>1(b) m=1(c) n>1(d) n=1
›Reveal solutionSolution
A matrix A=[aij]m×n is called a column matrix when it has only one column, i.e. n=1.
By definition, a column matrix (or column vector) has m rows but a single column, so its order is m×1. This means the …
- CBSE 2024Set 65/3/11 markMCQQ.If A=[aij] is an identity matrix, then which of the following is true? (A) aij={0,1,if i=jif i=j (B) aij=1, ∀i,j (C) aij=0, ∀i,j (D) aij={0,1,if i=jif i=j
›Reveal solutionSolution
An identity matrix has 1’s on the main diagonal and 0’s everywhere else. The correct description is option (D).
The definition of an identity matrix is one of the first things you learn in matrices — and it’s also one of the easiest to mix up if you’re not careful. The key idea is simple: an identity matrix acts like the number 1 in multiplication. When you multiply any matrix by the identity (of the right size), you get the original matrix back. For that to work, the identity must have 1’s only where the row and column numbers are the same (the diagonal), and 0’s everywhere else.
Let’s walk through the options one by one.
-
Option (A) says:
aij={0,1,if i=jif i=j
This is the exact opposite of what we need — it puts 0’s on the diagonal and 1’s off it. That matrix is called a counter-identity or sometimes a J matrix (all ones except zeros on the diagonal). It definitely does not behave like the multiplicative identity. So (A) is wrong.
-
Option (B) says:
aij=1, ∀i,j
This is a matrix of all 1’s. Multiply any vector by this and you’ll get a vector of sums — not the original vector. So (B) is also wrong.
-
Option (C) says:
aij=0, ∀i,j
This is the zero matrix. Multiplying by the zero matrix gives zero, not the original matrix. So (C) is clearly wrong.
-
Option (D) says: …
-
- CBSE 2023Set A1 markQ.What is column matrix?
›Reveal solutionSolution
A column matrix has exactly one column and any number of rows — order m×1.
…
- CBSE 2022Set ANNUAL1 markQ.Write the identity matrix of 3×3 order.
›Reveal solutionSolution
An identity matrix has 1's on the main diagonal and 0's everywhere else.
The 3×3 identity matrix is I3=100010001. …
- CBSE 2019Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.Which of the following is the unit matrix of order 3×3?(a) 111000000(b) 100010001(c) 000000111(d) 000111000
›Reveal solutionSolution
The 3×3 identity matrix is 100010001.
A unit (identity) matrix I is a square matrix whose diagonal entries are all 1 and every off-diagonal entry is 0. It satisfies AI=IA=A. O …
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