MATRICES

• Some Words:
One: Matrix
More than one: Matrices
• Definition: In Mathematics, matrices are used
to store information.
• This information is written in a rectangular
arrangement of rows and columns.
• Each entry, or element, of a matrix has a
precise position and meaning.
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 Definition
The Determinant of a 2 X 2 matrix A where
a c 
A=  
b d 
is the number ad – bc.
a c 
 
b d 
Some Notation: det(A) = ad – bc
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 Example

 3 4
A=  
7 1
Find the determinant of A

Det(A) =3x1 – 7x4

Det(A) = - 25
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 Definition
The inverse of a matrix A, written A-1, is the
matrix such that:
A A-1 =  = A-1A
a c  a and d change position
If A =  
b d 
then A =
-1 1  d c 
ad  bc  b a



The determinant of A c and b change

4
sign 4
 To find the inverse of a matrix
Step 1: Exchange the elements in the leading
diagonal.

Step 2: Change the sign of the other two

elements.

Step 3: Multiply by the reciprocal of the

determinant.

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 Example
 1 3 
P=   Find P-1
 1 2 
 2 3  Exchange the elements in the
Step 1:   leading diagonal
 1 1
 2 3  Change the sign of the other two
Step 2:  
 1 1  elements.

Step 3: det(P) = -1x2– -1x3 = 1

1  2 3   2 3 
P-1 =   =  
1  1 1   1 1 
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 Applications: Cryptology
Matrix inverses can be used to encode and
decode messages.
To start: Set up a code.
The letters of the English alphabet are given
corresponding numbers from 1-26.
The number 27 is used to represent a space
between words.
ABC DEFGHI J K L MN OP QR S TUVWX Y Z
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
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 Secret Code
In this code, the words
SECRET CODE is given by:
19 5 18 5 20 27 3 15 4 5

27 represents the space between the words.

Any 2X2 matrix, with positive integers and

where the inverse matrix exists, can be used
as the encoding matrix.
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  4 3
Let’s use A =   as the encoding matrix.
 1 1

To encode the message SECRET CODE, we

need to create a matrix with 2 rows.
 19 3 5 27 15 5
 
 5 18 20 3 4 ?
The last entry is blank, so we enter 27 for a
space.
 19 3 5 27 15 5
 
 5 18 20 3 4 27

We are now ready to encode the message. 9

 To encode the message, multiply by A:

Encoding  4 3   193 5 27 15 5 
   
matrix first  1 1   518 20 3 4 27 
 91 66 80 117 72 101
=  
 24 21 25 30 19 32 

The encryption for SECRET CODE is

91 24 66 21 80 25 117 30 72 19 101 32

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 Decoding
To decode a message, simply put it back in
matrix form and multiply on the left with the
inverse matrix A-1

Since only A and A-1 are the only “keys”

needed to encode and decode a message,
it becomes easy to encrypt a message.

The difficulty is in finding the key matrix.

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 Example

1 2 
Encoding matrix A =  
1 3 

(i) Use this matrix and the code for the English
alphabet above, to encode the message
DISCRETE MATHS.
(ii) Also, decode
55 70 75 102 22 31 58 85 49 69
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 D S R T A H
(i) DISCRETE MATHS  
 I C E E M T S
 4 19 18 20 27 1 8 
 
 9 3 5 5 13 20 19 
 1 2   4 19 18 20 27 1 8 
   
ENCODE  1 3   9 3 5 5 13 20 19 

 22 25 28 30 53 41 46 
=  
 31 28 33 35 56 60 65 
Encoded message:22 31 25 28 28 33 30 35 53 56 41 46 65
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 1  3 2 
(ii) A-1 =  
1 3  1 2  1 1 
 3 2 
 
 1 1 

Decode:  3 2   55 75 22 58 49 
  
 1 1   70 102 31 85 69 
 25 21 4 4 9 
=  
 15 27 9 27 20 
25 15 21 27 4 9 4 27 9 20
Y o u did i t 14