ACT Math : Scalar interactions with Matrices

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for ACT Math

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Matrices

Evaluate: 

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

This problem involves a scalar multiplication with a matrix. Simply distribute the negative three and multiply this value with every number in the 2 by 3 matrix. The rows and columns will not change.

Example Question #1 : Multiplication Of Matrices

What is ?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

You can begin by treating this equation just like it was:

That is, you can divide both sides by :

Now, for scalar multiplication of matrices, you merely need to multiply the scalar by each component:

Then, simplify:

Therefore, 

Example Question #2 : Matrices

If , what is ?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Begin by distributing the fraction through the matrix on the left side of the equation. This will simplify the contents, given that they are factors of :

Now, this means that your equation looks like:

This simply means:

and

 or 

Therefore, 

Example Question #1 : Matrices

Simplify:

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Scalar multiplication and addition of matrices are both very easy. Just like regular scalar values, you do multiplication first:

The addition of matrices is very easy. You merely need to add them directly together, correlating the spaces directly.

Example Question #1 : Matrices

Simplify the following

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

When multplying any matrix by a scalar quantity (3 in our case), we simply multiply each term in the matrix by the scalar.

Therefore, every number simply gets multiplied by 3, giving us our answer.

Example Question #5 : Scalar Interactions With Matrices

Define matrix , and let  be the 3x3 identity matrix.

If , then evaluate .

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The 3x3 identity matrix is 

Both scalar multplication of a matrix and matrix addition are performed elementwise, so

 is the first element in the third row of , which is 3; similarly, . Therefore, 

Example Question #1 : Matrices

Define matrix , and let  be the 3x3 identity matrix.

If , then evaluate .

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The 3x3 identity matrix is 

Both scalar multplication of a matrix and matrix addition are performed elementwise, so

 is the first element in the third row of , which is 3; similarly, . Therefore, 

Example Question #5 : Matrices

Define matrix .

If , evaluate  .

Possible Answers:

The correct answer is not among the other responses.

Correct answer:

Explanation:

If , then .

Scalar multplication of a matrix is done elementwise, so 

 is the first element in the second row of , which is 5, so

Example Question #2 : Matrices

Define matrix .

If , evaluate  .

Possible Answers:

The correct answer is not among the other responses.

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Scalar multplication of a matrix is done elementwise, so

 is the third element in the second row of , which is 1, so

Example Question #1 : Matrices

Define matrix , and let  be the 3x3 identity matrix.

If , evaluate .

Possible Answers:

The correct answer is not given among the other responses.

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The 3x3 identity matrix is 

Both scalar multplication of a matrix and matrix addition are performed elementwise, so

 is the first element in the second row, which is 5; similarly, . The equation becomes

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