real matrix

5.7

A table of numbers in rows and columns where each number is real

noun
/riːəl ˈmeɪtrɪks/

Specialized

: matriz real

To simplify the calculations, he converted the complex matrix into a real matrix with only real number entries.

Examples

So create a real matrix with eigenvalues I, minus I.
Of course, we're speaking about real matrices A, so I can take that out.
In addition, Cd spike experiments were performed in the presence of the real matrix.

Academic text (2018)
A real matrix is used in various applications within linear algebra, where all its elements are real numbers.
In the study of differential equations, a real matrix can be essential for finding solutions.

Surface Forms

real matrix singular

real matrices plural

Morphology

real + matrix

The meaning 'a matrix whose elements are all real numbers' is directly and compositionally derived from combining 'real' (real numbers) with 'matrix' (a rectangular arrangement of numbers) following a standard adjective + noun pattern. Although it's a technical mathematical term, the semantic logic is straightforward and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituent senses can readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Real matrix names a matrix, a rectangular grid of numbers, whose numbers are all real, not 'imaginary'. So imagine a plain table filled only with ordinary numbers, and that image shows why 'real matrix' means a matrix made only of real numbers.