To Matrix or Not to Matrix?

Core Connections

To Matrix or Not to Matrix?

By Leslie Wicks, Henderson County High School

As school begins each year, it is often pondered whether or not matrices are important to teach. In most instances districts teach this concept because it is mandated by the Kentucky Core Content. What most people don't realize is that there are many uses for matrices in the real world.

Students can determine the number of 3 point shots verses the number of 2 point shots in a basketball game given a certain ending score, they can determine what supplies need to be purchased for a retail business and so much more. Matrices are a very important concept for students to know. Televisions use matrices for their color pixels, printers use matrices for their ink distribution, and most often they are used as a means to organize data. People use matrices on a daily based they just don't realize it.  Students have all created a chart like figure 1 below, which is a matrix.

Figure 1:

 

 

Touchdowns

Yards Ran

Yards Thrown

Field Goals

Colonels

15

379

745

21

Trojans

12

286

932

9

Maroons

14

463

578

23

Storm

16

347

724

15

 

For the above chart to become a matrix, simply take off the labels. It will then become matrix A, as in figure 2.

matrix

The above matrix gives the same information as the chart in figure 1; it just does not have all the labels.

Matrices are considered to be complicated and boring by students, but when online tools and videos are used to promote teaching, it makes learning more fun. Below you can find several resources to help promote the technology in your classroom that will enliven the teaching of matrices. Discovery Education (http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com) has several videos that can show how matrices are used out in the real world.

In the world of math, matrices will have a better outlook to our students if they can connect them to their daily lives.


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