Matrix addition
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In mathematics, matrix addition is the operation of adding two matrices by adding the corresponding entries together. However, there is another operation which could also be considered as a kind of addition for matrices.
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[edit] Entrywise sum
The usual matrix addition is defined for two matrices of the same dimensions. The sum of two m-by-n matrices A and B, denoted by A + B, is again an m-by-n matrix computed by adding corresponding elements. For example:
We can also subtract one matrix from another, as long as they have the same dimensions. A - B is computed by subtracting corresponding elements of A and B, and has the same dimensions as A and B. For example:
[edit] Direct sum
Another operation, which is used less often, is the direct sum. The direct sum of any pair of matrices A of size m × n and B of size p × q is a matrix of size (m + p) × (n + q) matrix defined as
For instance,
The direct sum of matrices is a special type of block matrix, in particular the direct sum of square matrices is a block diagonal matrix.
Uses of this include
- The direct sum of two square matrices can represent the adjacency matrix of a graph or multigraph with one component for each direct addend.
- Any element in the direct sum of two vector spaces of matrices can be represented as a direct sum of two matrices.
In general, the direct sum of n matrices is:






