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matrix Definition

ma·trix (mā′triks′)

noun pl. -·tri·ces′mā′trə sēz′, ma′trə- or -·trix′es

  1. Archaic the womb; uterus
  2. that within which, or within and from which, something originates, takes form, or develops; specif.,
    1. a die or mold for casting or shaping
    2. an impression from which a large number of phonograph records can be duplicated
  3. Anat.
    1. any nonliving, intercellular substance in which living cells are embedded, as in bone, cartilage, etc.
    2. the formative cells from which a nail, tooth, etc. grows
  4. Electronics a process in which several signals are combined for transmission or recording and then separated for reception or playback
  5. Geol. the rock or earthy material in which a crystal, pebble, fossil, etc. is enclosed or embedded
  6. Linguis. a main or independent clause
  7. Math. a set of numbers or terms arranged in rows and columns between parentheses or double lines
  8. Printing
    1. a metal mold for casting the face of type
    2. a papier-mâché, plaster, or similar impression of type, etc., from which a plate can be made, as in stereotypy

Etymology: LL, womb, public register, origin < L, breeding animal < mater (gen. matris), mother

matrix Synonyms

matrix

n.

form, cast, pattern; see model 2, mold 1.

Matrix Hacker Definition
Means many things. It is, for one, the world’s telecommunications network. Because of its importance to the world, a number of artists have been drawn to the concept of a matrix and have incorporated it into their creative works. Thus, The Matrix is the name given to a book, a movie, and a computer game—all describing a virtual world of information similar in some ways to the Internet but completely different in other ways.

“The Matrix,” upon which fiction novels, movies, and games have been based, is a computer-generated three-dimensional world in which users can do anything because the world comprises ICons, or IC (pronounced “ice”). IC, known more formally as Intrusion Countermeasure electronics, are programs stopping illegal access by intruders to computers and highly sensitive information. For example, IC might look like a bull with guns or a moose with guns, depending on what type of IC it is and what its function is. IC comes in many forms, including Black IC (the lethal form) and Probe IC (which searches for intruders and then fires back with some nasty stuff intended to stop the intruder in his or her tracks). Moreover, in “The Matrix,” a node (actually part of a host, such as a sub-system, and usually represented by a virtual landscape) might be seen as a hole or a gas pump. If that node is destroyed, the hole might suddenly disappear, or the gas pump might quickly explode. In this virtual world, a user will look like whatever he or she asked the Cyberdeck to identify him or her as. What is more, users in a nonsubmersive system cannot be hurt because the user is represented by an Icon and is not physically there. The ICon represents a computer system, and any attacks directed at the user’s ICon can damage his or her system.

Since 2001, the term matrix has gained a whole new meaning. The Florida police department operated an anti-terrorism information system called the Multistate Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange, or Matrix, to locate patterns among people and events by pooling police records with commercial data on U.S. adults. The Justice Department provided $4 million to broaden the Matrix program on a national basis, and the Department of Homeland Security pledged $8 million to assist with the Matrix program expansion—so that Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York could join the Matrix network.

See Also: Department of Homeland Security (DHS); Internet; Network; Telcom; Terrorism; Terrorist-Hacker Links; The Matrix of 1999.

Clutton, R. The Matrix. [Online, November 26, 1999.] R. Clutton Website. http://tip.net.au/~rclutton/matrix.html; Wilson, C. CRS Report for Congress: Computer Attack and Cyberterrorism: Vulnerabilities and Policy Issues for Congress. [Online, October 17, 2003.] CRS Report Website. http://www.fas.org/irp/crs/RL32114.pdf.
matrix Telecom Definition
See matrix switch and switch matrix.
matrix Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • covariates: The matrix of covariates included PSU area measures, based on aggregated individual level survey counts within the PSU.

Converse of object

  • invert: This represents the size of matrix inverted with each iteration.

Adjective modifier

  • extracellular: The hepatic stellate cell has been recognized to be responsible for most of the excess extracellular matrix observed in chronic liver fibrosis.
  • symmetric: The routine calculates the square symmetric matrix of distances between each atom and every other atom currently selected.
  • sparse: The number of vectors in the plot is kept to a manageable value by only plotting vectors for pixels on a sparse regular matrix.
  • tridiagonal: In the sparse case, the nonsymmetric Lanczos algorithm produces a nonsymmetric tridiagonal matrix.
  • diagonal: The singular value decomposition is given by where the columns of are orthonormal and is a diagonal square-root matrix.
  • Hessian: To address problems that arise in the resultant optimization we introduce a technique called spherical normalization that preconditions the Hessian matrix.

Modifies a noun

  • metalloproteinases: Inhibitors of enzymes that digest cartilage The enzymes most frequently involved in the digestion of cartilage are called the matrix metalloproteinases ( MMPs ).
  • algebra: The aim of the project will be to make use of linear and matrix algebra for the structural representation and analysis of software programs.
  • metalloproteinase: Likewise, dietary components may reduce matrix metalloproteinase expression.
  • multiplication: To do inner product matrix multiplication, you can use the product global function.
  • composite: Tom Shelley reports Particles fired in a plasma at supersonic speeds are producing metal matrix composites of superior properties at surprisingly modest cost.
  • inversion: However, each iteration requires a matrix inversion, so that the method can be expensive for large models.

Noun used with modifier

  • covariance: The fourth option allows the user to specify a variance covariance matrix for the shocks.
  • co-occurrence: The co-occurrence matrix itself also appears to vary between the surfaces with the rougher surface producing the more disperse matrix.
  • polymer: Some of these delivery devices are water-soluble and release the drug as the polymer matrix dissolves.
  • rotation: The rotation matrices for the real harmonics are obtained from those of the complex ones.
  • correlation: A correlation matrix is derived across these six specifications.
  • transformation: All transformation matrices that apply to a given model object are multiplied together when the object is rendered.