Matrices: Concepts and real world contexts

The very mention of “matrices” almost compels people to make a mental about turn. Most of us are driven instinctively to run for the hills, leaving matrices for the “experts”, the people deeply involved in mathematics and the sciences. This paper seeks to demystify the concepts of matrices as well as to identify some of the many ways in which we use matrices in our everyday lives. The first section of this paper attempts to show, in very simple terms, how matrices work. The second section of this paper demonstrates some of the many ways in which we use matrices, often without being conscious of the fact that we are using them to initiate, develop, and sustain our enterprises.