matrix inversion
- noun
- /ˈmeɪtrɪks ɪnˈvɜrʒən/
- Specialized
- To solve the system of equations, we need to perform a matrix inversion to find the values of the variables.
Examples
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The software calculates the matrix inversion of the input to ensure accurate results in data analysis.
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In linear algebra, matrix inversion is essential for determining the solution to complex problems.
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One could take the view that what people had to say about forecasting before the application of matrix inversion is irrelevant.
Academic text (1992)
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally built from 'matrix' and 'inversion' so a learner who knows both words can infer a notion of 'reversing' or 'finding an inverse' of a matrix. However, the precise technical meaning—finding a multiplicative inverse that yields the identity matrix—requires domain-specific mathematical knowledge, so the full sense is not fully predictable to an average B1 learner.
Etymology
Matrix inversion uses matrix (a grid of numbers) and inversion (a 'undoing'). Think of a matrix as a machine that changes a list of numbers and the inversion as the machine that puts them back, so when you multiply a matrix by its inverse you get the 'identity' matrix, like 'doing nothing', and that is why matrix inversion means finding the matrix that 'undoes' the original.