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Quiz about The Matrix
Quiz about The Matrix

The Matrix Trivia Quiz


As part of the 'Not Quite the Movies Challenge', here is an introduction to matrices.

A multiple-choice quiz by looney_tunes. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
looney_tunes
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
336,385
Updated
Oct 29 22
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
1171
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. A matrix is defined as a rectangular array of numbers or other elements. This means its shape (called its dimension) can be described by stating the number of rows and columns in which the elements are arranged. A matrix A is said to have dimension mxn. Which of the following statements about matrix A is true? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. If a matrix A has dimension mxm, what kind of matrix is it? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. A vector is a matrix for which there is only a single row or a single column. M is a 4x1 matrix, while N is a 1x4 matrix. Which of them could be described as a vector? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. To add matrices, you simply add the corresponding elements. Which of the following is a pair of matrices that can be added? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. How can you recognise an Additive Identity Matrix? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Multiplication involving matrices is a bit more complicated than it is with numbers. The cross product of two vectors, A x B, can only be calculated under what condition? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Which familiar property of number calculations does NOT apply to matrix calculations, with a few exceptions? Assume that all operations indicated are in fact possible. Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. What is meant by the multiplicative inverse, A^-1, of a matrix A? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Sometimes two vectors can be multiplied in such a way that the answer is a scalar (ordinary number), not a matrix. What is the name given to the result of this procedure? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. How is the operation of matrix division (A divided by B) performed? Hint



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quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. A matrix is defined as a rectangular array of numbers or other elements. This means its shape (called its dimension) can be described by stating the number of rows and columns in which the elements are arranged. A matrix A is said to have dimension mxn. Which of the following statements about matrix A is true?

Answer: A has m rows and n columns

The dimension of a matrix is always stated as rows x columns. The numbers m and n are always positive integers (although the actual numbers in the matrix can take on any values). Matrices are usually referred to by a single capital letter - this quiz will usually refer to the matrix A.
2. If a matrix A has dimension mxm, what kind of matrix is it?

Answer: square matrix

A square matrix has the same number of rows as it has columns - making it have a square shape. The size of the square is usually indicated by saying that A is a square matrix of order m, so a 3x3 matrix is of order 3.
3. A vector is a matrix for which there is only a single row or a single column. M is a 4x1 matrix, while N is a 1x4 matrix. Which of them could be described as a vector?

Answer: both M and N are vectors

M is called a column vector, as it only has four numbers lined up in a single column. N is called a row vector, as it has four numbers arrayed in a single row.
4. To add matrices, you simply add the corresponding elements. Which of the following is a pair of matrices that can be added?

Answer: A = [1 3]; B = [4 -2]

In order for two matrices to have corresponding elements, they must be of the same dimension. A = [1 3] and B = [4 -2] are both 1x2 matrices, so they can be added. A+B = [5 1], since 1+4=5 and 3-2=1.

None of the other pairs have the same shape, so they cannot be added.
5. How can you recognise an Additive Identity Matrix?

Answer: all elements are 0

Addition is performed by adding corresponding elements. Adding 0 to each element of matrix A does not change its value, so the result is the same as the original. A + 0 = A, where 0 stands for the Additive Identity Matrix. This corresponds to the process of adding 0 for real numbers.
6. Multiplication involving matrices is a bit more complicated than it is with numbers. The cross product of two vectors, A x B, can only be calculated under what condition?

Answer: the number of columns in A equals the number of rows in B

The cross product, also sometimes called the vector product, of two matrices is obtained by matching the elements in the first row of A with the elements in the first column of B, multiplying the number pairs and adding the products. This gives the element in the first column of the first row in the product matrix. The process is repeated, matching A's first row with B's columns until the end is reached, with the answers forming the first row of the product. Then the second row is matched with the columns of B in order to produce the second row of the product. And so on. This process only works if the number of columns in A equals the number of rows in B.

The final answer is not necessarily the same shape as either of the starting matrices. If an mxp matrix is crossed with a pxn matrix, the result is an mxn matrix.

Crossing a row vector with a column vector produces a rectangular matrix. When this is applied to practical situations in which each of the two original vectors has three numbers corresponding to three-dimensional coordinates of the vector quantity being considered, it is a useful shortcut used in high school Physics classes that the magnitude of the product will be equal to the magnitudes of the two original vectors multiplied by the sine of the angle between them; its direction will be perpendicular to both of the original vectors. Remember this for the joke at the end of the quiz!
7. Which familiar property of number calculations does NOT apply to matrix calculations, with a few exceptions? Assume that all operations indicated are in fact possible.

Answer: multiplicative commutavity, A x B = B x A

Without going into complex calculations, consider just the dimensions of A x B and B x A if A is a 3x1 matrix and B is a 1x3 matrix. A x B will be a 3x3 matrix, while B x A will be a 1x1 matrix! They cannot possibly be the same. If one of the matrices is the Multiplicative Identity Matrix or the Zero Matrix, or if B is the multiplicative inverse of A, then the multiplication is commutative.

The other three field properties apply to matrices as well as to real numbers.
8. What is meant by the multiplicative inverse, A^-1, of a matrix A?

Answer: A x A^-1 gives a unit matrix

When you multiply a matrix by its inverse, the result is the Multiplicative Identity Matrix, also called the unit matrix for that order of matrices. This matrix has the number 1 entered for all elements of its leading diagonal (top left to bottom right of the square) and 0 for all other elements. When you multiply any square matrix by the appropriately-sized unit matrix, the result is the original matrix. This is the matrix equivalent of multiplying by 1.

Actually finding the inverse of a matrix can involve some nasty calculations, which I won't detail here. If you're interested, a course in Linear Algebra will give you the chance to explore more!
9. Sometimes two vectors can be multiplied in such a way that the answer is a scalar (ordinary number), not a matrix. What is the name given to the result of this procedure?

Answer: scalar product

The scalar product, also called the dot product, of two vectors is calculated by multiplying the corresponding elements together, then adding the products. The answer is a number. For example, [1 3].[2 1] = 5, because 1x2 + 3x1 = 5.
10. How is the operation of matrix division (A divided by B) performed?

Answer: It isn't defined as a matrix operation

Division of matrices is not defined. Instead of dividing A by B, it is necessary to find the inverse matrix of B, B^-1, then multiply A by B^-1. Of course, this is only possible if B has an inverse. Matrices which do not have an inverse are said to be singular, and (despite that tag) are not uncommon.
Source: Author looney_tunes

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor crisw before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
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