3 ⇥ 3 Matrices

Much of this chapter is similar to the chapter on 2 ⇥ 2 matrices. The most

substantial di↵erence between 2 ⇥ 2 matrices and 3 ⇥ 3 matrices is that it’s
harder to write a 3 ⇥ 3 matrix than it is to write a 2 ⇥ 2 matrix.

3 ⇥ 3 matrices have 3 rows and 3 columns. They are a square block of 9

numbers, such as 0 1
2 0 6
@ 4 5 14A
10 3 4
Two matrices are equal if the entry in any position of the one matrix equals
the entry in the same position of the other matrix.

Examples.
0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1
3 2 7 3 2 7 3 2 7 3 2 7
@5 0 1 A = @5 0 1A but @5 0 1 A 6= @5 9 1A
6 9 4 6 9 4 6 9 4 6 0 4

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Matrices as functions
A 3 ⇥ 3 matrix defines a function whose domain is R3 and whose target is
R3 . The function is defined as follows:
0 10 1 0 1
a b c u au + bv + cw
@d e f A @ v A = @du + ev + f wA
g h i w gu + hv + iw
Notice that the first, second, or third entry in the vector on the right side
of the above equation can be found by multiplying the first, second, or third
row of the matrix
0 1
a b c
@d e f A
g h i
and the column
278
 0 1
u
@v A
w

Example. The matrix 0 1

5 3 1
@ 2 2 4 A
7 0 1
has 3 rows and 3 columns, so it is a function whose domain is R3 , and whose
target is R3 .
Because, 0 1
2
@ 9 A
3
is a vector in R3 , 0 10 1
5 3 1 2
@ 2 2 4 A@ 9 A
7 0 1 3
is also a vector in R3 . The vector it equals is
0 10 1 0 1
5 3 1 2 5 · 2 + 3 · 9 + 1 · ( 3)
@ 2 2 4 A @ 9 A = @ 2 · 2 + 2 · 9 + 4 · ( 3) A
7 0 1 3 7 · 2 + 0 · 9 + ( 1) · ( 3)
0 1
10 + 27 3
= @ 4 + 18 12A
14 + 0 + 3
0 1
34
= 2A
@
17

Identity matrix
Notice that
0 10 1 0 1 0 1
1 0 0 x 1·x+0·y+0·z x
@0 1 0 A @ y A = @0 · x + 1 · y + 0 · z A = @ y A
0 0 1 z 0·x+0·y+1·z z
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 Thus, 0 1
1 0 0
@0 1 0 A
0 0 1
is the identity function whose domain is R3 . We call this matrix the 3 ⇥ 3
identity matrix.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Matrix multiplication
You can “multiply” two 3 ⇥ 3 matrices to obtain another 3 ⇥ 3 matrix.

Order the columns of a matrix from left to right, so that the 1st column
is on the left, the 2nd column is directly to the right of the 1st , and the 3rd
column is to the right of the 2nd .
To multiply two matrices, call the columns of the matrix on the right “input
columns”, and put each of the input columns into the matrix on the left
(thinking of it as a function). The column that is assigned to the 1st input
column by the matrix function will be the 1st column of the product you are
trying to find.
The column that is assigned to the 2nd input column by the matrix function
will be the 2nd column of the product, and the column that is assigned to
the 3rd input column by the matrix function will be the 3rd column of the
product.

Example. To find the product

0 10 1
2 7 3 3 0 1
@1 5 8A @2 1 0A
0 4 1 1 2 4
separate the matrix on the right into its three “input columns”:
0 1 0 10 10 1
3 0 1 3 0 1
@2 A
1 0 7! 2 @ A @ 1 A @ 0A
1 2 4 1 2 4
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 Then the product
0 10 1
2 7 3 3 0 1
@1 5 8A @2 1 0A
0 4 1 1 2 4
will be a 3 ⇥ 3 matrix whose first column (when read left-to-right) equals
0 10 1 0 1
2 7 3 3 23
@1 5 8 A @ 2 = 21A
A @
0 4 1 1 9
whose second column equals
0 10 1 0 1
2 7 3 0 13
@1 5 8A @1A = @21A
0 4 1 2 6
and whose third column is
0 10 1 0 1
2 7 3 1 14
@1 5 8A @0A = @33A
0 4 1 4 4
To repeat the previous sentence,
0 10 1 0 1
2 7 3 3 0 1 23 13 14
@1 5 8A @2 1 0A = @21 21 33A
0 4 1 1 2 4 9 6 4

Matrix multiplication is function composition

If A and B are 3 ⇥ 3 matrices, then the result of multiplying the matrices
AB would determine the same function AB : R3 ! R3 as the function that
results from composition, namely A B.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

281
Inverse matrices
1
If B is a 3 ⇥ 3 matrix, then B is the 3 ⇥ 3 matrix where
0 1
1 0 0
BB 1
= 0@ 1 0A
0 0 1
and 0 1
1 0 0
B 1 B = @0 1 0 A
0 0 1

Example. We can check that the two matrices

0 1 0 1
7 0 2 1 0 2
@4 1 1A and @ 1 1 1A
3 0 1 3 0 7
are inverses of each other by multiplying them in either order and checking
to see that their product is the identity matrix:
0 10 1 0 1
7 0 2 1 0 2 1 0 0
@4 1 1 A @ 1 1 1 A = @0 1 0 A
3 0 1 3 0 7 0 0 1
and
0 10 1 0 1
1 0 2 7 0 2 1 0 0
@ 1 1 1 A @4 1 1 A = @0 1 0 A
3 0 7 3 0 1 0 0 1

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

282
 Exercises
1.) The matrix 0 1
1 1 1
A = @0 2 3 A
3 2 0
describes a function A : R3 ! R3 .
Find the vectors
0 10 1 0 10 1
1 1 1 0 1 1 1 2
@0 2 3 A @1A and @0 2 3 A@ 1 A
3 2 0 4 3 2 0 0

2.) The matrix 0 1

3 2 2
B = @1 0 10 A
4 5 7
describes a function B : R3 ! R3 .
Find the vectors
0 10 1 0 10 1
3 2 2 1 3 2 2 3
@1 0 10 A @ 2 A and @1 0 10 A @0A
4 5 7 1 4 5 7 2

3.) Find the product

0 10 1
0 1 0 2 1 5
@2 0 2 A @0 3 1 A
0 3 0 0 0 4

4.) Find the product

0 10 1
2 1 5 0 1 0
@0 3 1 A @2 0 2 A
0 0 4 0 3 0
283
 5.) Find the product
0 10 1
3 17 5 1 0 0
@17 3 34A @0 1 0A
41 3 18 0 0 1

For #6 and #7, determine whether the two matrices given are inverses of
each other.
0 1 0 1
4 1 2 0 2 1
6.) @1 0 1A and @ 1 1 3A
1 1 0 1 0 2

0 1 0 1
1 1 0 1 1 1
7.) @ 2 1 1A and @2 1 1A
0 0 1 0 0 1

284
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290 27 285

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