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Matrix Calculator
Matrix A Input
row column

4 × 4

0.866 0.5 0 -9.026

-0.433 0.749956
-0.5 14.012955999999999

-0.25 0.433 0.866 -14.219000000000001

0 0 0 1

Clear All 0 All 1 Random

Transpose Power of 2

Determinant Inverse × 3

Matrix B Input
row column

4 × 4

0.866 0.5 0 2.598

-0.5 0.866 0 5.428

0 0 1 -3

0 0 0 1

Clear All 0 All 1 Random

Transpose Power of 2

Determinant Inverse × 3

A+B A–B AB A↔B

Result
AB = 0.499956 0.866 0 -4.062132
-0.749956 0.432961896 -0.5 18.45878317
Copy To A -0.433 0.249978 0.866 -15.116176
Copy To B 0 0 0 1

A matrix, in a mathematical context, is a rectangular

array of numbers, symbols, or expressions that are
arranged in rows and columns. Matrices are often
used in scientific fields such as physics, computer
graphics, probability theory, statistics, calculus,
numerical analysis, and more.
The dimensions of a matrix, A, are typically denoted as
m × n. This means that A has m rows and n columns.
When referring to a specific value in a matrix, called an
element, a variable with two subscripts is often used to
denote each element based on its position in the
matrix. For example, given ai,j, where i = 1 and j = 3,
a1,3 is the value of the element in the first row and the
third column of the given matrix.
Matrix operations such as addition, multiplication,
subtraction, etc., are similar to what most people are
likely accustomed to seeing in basic arithmetic and
algebra, but do differ in some ways, and are subject to
certain constraints. Below are descriptions of the
matrix operations that this calculator can perform.

Matrix addition

Matrix addition can only be performed on matrices of

the same size. This means that you can only add
matrices if both matrices are m × n. For example, you
can add two or more 3 × 3, 1 × 2, or 5 × 4 matrices.
You cannot add a 2 × 3 and a 3 × 2 matrix, a 4 × 4 and
a 3 × 3, etc. The number of rows and columns of all
the matrices being added must exactly match.
If the matrices are the same size, matrix addition is
performed by adding the corresponding elements in
the matrices. For example, given two matrices, A and
B, with elements ai,j, and bi,j, the matrices are added
by adding each element, then placing the result in a
new matrix, C, in the corresponding position in the
matrix:

1 2 5 6
A= ;B=
3 4 7 8
In the above matrices, a1,1 = 1; a1,2 = 2; b1,1 = 5; b1,2
= 6; etc. We add the corresponding elements to obtain
ci,j. Adding the values in the corresponding rows and
columns:
a1,1 + b1,1 = 1 + 5 = 6 = c1,1
a1,2 + b1,2 = 2 + 6 = 8 = c1,2
a2,1 + b2,1 = 3 + 7 = 10 = c2,1
a2,2 + b2,2 = 4 + 8 = 12 = c2,2
Thus, matrix C is:

6 8
C=
10 12

Matrix subtraction

Matrix subtraction is performed in much the same way

as matrix addition, described above, with the exception
that the values are subtracted rather than added. If
necessary, refer to the information and examples
above for a description of notation used in the example
below. Like matrix addition, the matrices being
subtracted must be the same size. If the matrices are
the same size, then matrix subtraction is performed by
subtracting the elements in the corresponding rows
and columns:

1 2 5 6
A= ;B=
3 4 7 8
a1,1 - b1,1 = 1 - 5 = -4 = c1,1
a1,2 - b1,2 = 2 - 6 = -4 = c1,2
a2,1 - b2,1 = 3 - 7 = -4 = c2,1
a2,2 - b2,2 = 4 - 8 = -4 = c2,2
Thus, matrix C is:

-4 -4
C=
-4 -4

Matrix multiplication

Scalar multiplication:
Matrices can be multiplied by a scalar value by
multiplying each element in the matrix by the scalar.
For example, given a matrix A and a scalar c:

1 2
A= ;c=5
3 4
The product of c and A is:

1 2 5 10
5× =
3 4 15 20
Matrix-matrix multiplication:
Multiplying two (or more) matrices is more involved
than multiplying by a scalar. In order to multiply two
matrices, the number of columns in the first matrix
must match the number of rows in the second matrix.
For example, you can multiply a 2 × 3 matrix by a 3 × 4
matrix, but not a 2 × 3 matrix by a 4 × 3.
Can be multiplied:

a1,1 a1,2 a1,3

A=
a2,1 a2,2 a2,3
b1,1 b1,2 b1,3 b1,4
B = b2,1 b2,2 b2,3 b2,4
b3,1 b3,2 b3,3 b3,4

Cannot be multiplied:

a1,1 a1,2 a1,3

A=
a2,1 a2,2 a2,3
b1,1 b1,2 b1,3
b2,1 b2,2 b2,3
B=
b3,1 b3,2 b3,3
b4,1 b4,2 b4,3

Note that when multiplying matrices, A × B does not

necessarily equal B × A. In fact, just because A can be
multiplied by B doesn't mean that B can be multiplied
by A.
If the matrices are the correct sizes, and can be
multiplied, matrices are multiplied by performing what
is known as the dot product. The dot product involves
multiplying the corresponding elements in the row of
the first matrix, by that of the columns of the second
matrix, and summing up the result, resulting in a single
value. The dot product can only be performed on
sequences of equal lengths. This is why the number of
columns in the first matrix must match the number of
rows of the second.
The dot product then becomes the value in the
corresponding row and column of the new matrix, C.
For example, from the section above of matrices that
can be multiplied, the blue row in A is multiplied by the
blue column in B to determine the value in the first
column of the first row of matrix C. This is referred to
as the dot product of row 1 of A and column 1 of B:
a1,1×b1,1 + a1,2×b2,1 + a1,3×b3,1 = c1,1
The dot product is performed for each row of A and
each column of B until all combinations of the two are
complete in order to find the value of the
corresponding elements in matrix C. For example,
when you perform the dot product of row 1 of A and
column 1 of B, the result will be c1,1 of matrix C. The
dot product of row 1 of A and column 2 of B will be
c1,2 of matrix C, and so on, as shown in the example
below:

5 6 1 1
1 2 1
A= ;B= 7 8 1 1
3 4 1
1 1 1 1
When multiplying two matrices, the resulting matrix will
have the same number of rows as the first matrix, in
this case A, and the same number of columns as the
second matrix, B. Since A is 2 × 3 and B is 3 × 4, C
will be a 2 × 4 matrix. The colors here can help
determine first, whether two matrices can be
multiplied, and second, the dimensions of the resulting
matrix. Next, we can determine the element values of
C by performing the dot products of each row and
column, as shown below:

20 23 4 4
C=
44 51 8 8
Below, the calculation of the dot product for each row
and column of C is shown:
c1,1 = 1×5 + 2×7 + 1×1 = 20
c1,2 = 1×6 + 2×8 + 1×1 = 23
c1,3 = 1×1 + 2×1 + 1×1 = 4
c1,4 = 1×1 + 2×1 + 1×1 = 4
c2,1 = 3×5 + 4×7 + 1×1 = 44
c2,2 = 3×6 + 4×8 + 1×1 = 51
c2,3 = 3×1 + 4×1 + 1×1 = 8
c2,4 = 3×1 + 4×1 + 1×1 = 8

Power of a matrix

For the intents of this calculator, "power of a matrix"

means to raise a given matrix to a given power. For
example, when using the calculator, "Power of 2" for a
given matrix, A, means A2. Exponents for matrices
function in the same way as they normally do in math,
except that matrix multiplication rules also apply, so
only square matrices (matrices with an equal number
of rows and columns) can be raised to a power. This is
because a non-square matrix, A, cannot be multiplied
by itself. A × A, in this case, is not possible to
compute. Refer to the matrix multiplication section, if
necessary, for a refresher on how to multiply matrices.
Given:

1 3
A=
2 1
A raised to the power of 2 is:

2
1 3
A2 =
2 1

1 3 1 3
= ×
2 1 2 1
7 6
=
4 7

As with exponents in other mathematical contexts, A3,

would equal A × A × A, A4 would equal A × A × A × A,
and so on.

Transpose of a matrix

The transpose of a matrix, typically indicated with a "T"

as an exponent, is an operation that flips a matrix over
its diagonal. This results in switching the row and
column indices of a matrix, meaning that aij in matrix
A, becomes aji in AT. If necessary, refer above for a
description of the notation used.
An m × n matrix, transposed, would therefore become
an n × m matrix, as shown in the examples below:

1 3
A=
2 1
1 2
AT =
3 1
20 23 4 4
B=
44 51 8 8
20 44
23 51
BT =
4 8
4 8

Determinant of a matrix

The determinant of a matrix is a value that can be

computed from the elements of a square matrix. It is
used in linear algebra, calculus, and other
mathematical contexts. For example, the determinant
can be used to compute the inverse of a matrix or to
solve a system of linear equations.
There are a number of methods and formulas for
calculating the determinant of a matrix. The Leibniz
formula and the Laplace formula are two commonly
used formulas.
Determinant of a 2 × 2 matrix:
The determinant of a 2 × 2 matrix can be calculated
using the Leibniz formula, which involves some basic
arithmetic. Given matrix A:

a b
A=
c d
The determinant of A using the Leibniz formula is:
a b
|A| = = ad - bc
c d
Note that taking the determinant is typically indicated
with "| |" surrounding the given matrix. Given:

2 4
A=
6 8
2 4
|A| = = 2×8 - 4×6 = -8
6 8
Determinant of a 3 × 3 matrix:
One way to calculate the determinant of a 3 × 3 matrix
is through the use of the Laplace formula. Both the
Laplace formula and the Leibniz formula can be
represented mathematically, but involve the use of
notations and concepts that won't be discussed here.
Below is an example of how to use the Laplace
formula to compute the determinant of a 3 × 3 matrix:
a b c
|A| = d e f
g h i
e f d f d e
= a -b +c
h i g i g h
From this point, we can use the Leibniz formula for a 2
× 2 matrix to calculate the determinant of the 2 × 2
matrices, and since scalar multiplication of a matrix
just involves multiplying all values of the matrix by the
scalar, we can multiply the determinant of the 2 × 2 by
the scalar as follows:
a b c
|A| = d e f
g h i
= a(ei-fh) - b(di-fg) + c(dh-eg)
This can further be simplified to:
|A| = aei + bfg + cdh - ceg - bdi - afh
This is the Leibniz formula for a 3 × 3 matrix.
Determinant of a 4 × 4 matrix and higher:
The determinant of a 4 × 4 matrix and higher can be
computed in much the same way as that of a 3 × 3,
using the Laplace formula or the Leibniz formula. As
with the example above with 3 × 3 matrices, you may
notice a pattern that essentially allows you to "reduce"
the given matrix into a scalar multiplied by the
determinant of a matrix of reduced dimensions, i.e. a 4
× 4 being reduced to a series of scalars multiplied by 3
× 3 matrices, where each subsequent pair of scalar ×
reduced matrix has alternating positive and negative
signs (i.e. they are added or subtracted).
The process involves cycling through each element in
the first row of the matrix. Eventually, we will end up
with an expression in which each element in the first
row will be multiplied by a lower-dimension (than the
original) matrix. The elements of the lower-dimension
matrix is determined by blocking out the row and
column that the chosen scalar are a part of, and
having the remaining elements comprise the lower
dimension matrix. Refer to the example below for
clarification.
Here, we first choose element a. The elements in blue
are the scalar, a, and the elements that will be part of
the 3 × 3 matrix we need to find the determinant of:
a b c d
e f g h
|A| =
i j k l
m n o p
f g h
= a j k l - ...
n o p
Next, we choose element b:
a b c d
e g h
e f g h
b i k l
i j k l
m o p
m n o p
Continuing in the same manner for elements c and d,
and alternating the sign (+ - + - ...) of each term:

a b c d
e f g h
|A| =
i j k l
m n o p
f g h e g h e f h e f g
=a j k l -b i k l +c i j l -d i j k
n o p m o p m n p m n o
We continue the process as we would a 3 × 3 matrix
(shown above), until we have reduced the 4 × 4 matrix
to a scalar multiplied by a 2 × 2 matrix, which we can
calculate the determinant of using Leibniz's formula.
As can be seen, this gets tedious very quickly, but it is
a method that can be used for n × n matrices once you
have an understanding of the pattern. There are other
ways to compute the determinant of a matrix that can
be more efficient, but require an understanding of
other mathematical concepts and notations.

Inverse of a matrix

The inverse of a matrix A is denoted as A-1, where A-1

is the inverse of A if the following is true:

A×A-1 = A-1×A = I, where I is the identity matrix

Identity matrix:
The identity matrix is a square matrix with "1" across
its diagonal, and "0" everywhere else. The identity
matrix is the matrix equivalent of the number "1." For
example, the number 1 multiplied by any number n
equals n. The same is true of an identity matrix
multiplied by a matrix of the same size: A × I = A. Note
that an identity matrix can have any square
dimensions. For example, all of the matrices below are
identity matrices. From left to right respectively, the
matrices below are a 2 × 2, 3 × 3, and 4 × 4 identity
matrix:

1 0 0 0
1 0 0
1 0 0 1 0 0
; 0 1 0 ; ...
0 1 0 0 1 0
0 0 1
0 0 0 1
The n × n identity matrix is thus:

1 0 0 ... 0
0 1 0 ... 0
In = 0 0 1 ... 0
... ... ... ... ...
0 0 0 ... 1
Inverse of a 2 × 2 matrix:
To invert a 2 × 2 matrix, the following equation can be
used:

-1
a b
A-1 =
c d
1 d -b
=
det(A) -c a
1 d -b
=
ad - bc -c a
For example, given:

2 4
A=
3 7
1 7 -4
A-1 =
2×7 - 4×3 -3 2
1 7 -4
=
2 -3 2
3.5 -2
=
-1.5 1
If you were to test that this is, in fact, the inverse of A
you would find that both:

2 4 3.5 -2 3.5 -2 2 4
× and ×
3 7 -1.5 1 -1.5 1 3 7
are equal to the identity matrix:

1 0
I=
0 1
Inverse of a 3 × 3 matrix:
The inverse of a 3 × 3 matrix is more tedious to
compute. An equation for doing so is provided below,
but will not be computed. Given:

a b c
M= d e f
g h i
T
A B C
-1 1
M =
det(M) D E F
G H I

A D G
1
= B E H
det(M)
C F I

where:
A=ei-fh; B=-(di-fg); C=dh-eg D=-(bi-ch); E=ai-cg; F=-
(ah-bg) G=bf-ce; H=-(af-cd); I=ae-bd
4 × 4 and larger get increasingly more complicated,
and there are other methods for computing them.

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