Test your understanding of core concepts in vector and matrix operations with this beginner-friendly quiz. Practice questions on addition, multiplication, scalar products, transposes, and basic properties to strengthen your linear algebra skills.
What is the result of adding the vectors (2, 5) and (3, 1)?
Explanation: The sum of two vectors is found by adding their corresponding components: (2+3, 5+1) = (5, 6). Option (6, 7) incorrectly adds all numbers, (1, 4) subtracts instead of adding, and (2, 5) simply repeats the first vector.
What is the size of the resulting matrix when you multiply a 2x3 matrix by a 3x1 matrix?
Explanation: When multiplying an m x n matrix by an n x p matrix, the result is an m x p matrix, so 2x3 and 3x1 yield 2x1. The other options either flip the dimensions or do not match the correct matrix multiplication rule.
What is the dot product of the vectors (1, 4) and (2, 3)?
Explanation: The dot product is (1*2) + (4*3) = 2 + 12 = 14. Other options come from mixing operations, such as adding instead of multiplying (10 or 7), or swapping the multiplication order.
If you multiply the vector (2, -1) by the scalar 3, what is the result?
Explanation: Each component is multiplied by 3, giving (2*3, -1*3) = (6, -3). The distractors are formed by incorrect arithmetic: (5,2) adds values, (3,-2) only multiplies one component, and (-6,3) reverses the sign.
Which is the result of adding matrices [[1, 2], [3, 4]] and [[4, 2], [1, 0]]?
Explanation: Matrix addition happens element-wise: [[1+4, 2+2], [3+1, 4+0]] = [[5, 4], [4, 4]]. The incorrect options either swap elements, present the original matrix, or compute some elements incorrectly.
What is the transpose of the matrix [[2, 3], [4, 1]]?
Explanation: Transposing switches rows and columns, so row (2,3) and (4,1) become columns, resulting in [[2, 4], [3, 1]]. Other answers either do not transpose properly or mix up element order.
What is the result of adding any vector to the zero vector in the same space?
Explanation: Adding the zero vector does not change the original vector, as adding zero to any component leaves it unchanged. The zero vector as a result is incorrect unless adding zeros to zeros. Vectors of ones or negatives are not produced by adding zero vectors.
Which of the following statements about matrix multiplication is true?
Explanation: For matrices to be multiplied, the columns of the first must match the rows of the second. They do not have to be square, and any compatible matrices work, not just row vectors. The result is not always a square matrix.
What happens when a vector is multiplied by the identity matrix of matching size?
Explanation: The identity matrix acts like 1 in matrix multiplication, leaving the vector unchanged. It does not zero or double values, nor does it perform a transpose operation.
What is the element-wise product of vectors (3, 2, 1) and (2, 0, 4)?
Explanation: Element-wise multiplication multiplies each corresponding pair: (3*2, 2*0, 1*4) = (6, 0, 4). Other options make mistakes such as adding or copying values.
Which of the following best describes a column vector?
Explanation: A column vector is defined by being a single column and as many rows as needed. A matrix with one row is a row vector, not a column vector. 'Square' and 'all zero' are unrelated to this definition.
Which operation is always commutative for vectors of the same size?
Explanation: Vector addition is commutative, so order does not matter. Matrix multiplication is generally not commutative, nor is subtraction. Matrix multiplication and scalar multiplication have different rules.
What will be the result when any vector is multiplied by the scalar zero?
Explanation: Multiplying by zero results in the zero vector, since all values become zero. The original vector, ones, or negatives are not produced by multiplying with zero.
What is [[5, 3], [0, 2]] minus [[2, 1], [0, 1]]?
Explanation: Subtracting element-wise: [[5-2, 3-1], [0-0, 2-1]] yields [[3, 2], [0, 1]]. Other options either add or incorrectly subtract some components.
Which matrix is a row vector?
Explanation: A row vector has a single row and multiple columns. [[1], [2], [3]] is a column vector, [[1,2],[3,4]] is a 2x2 matrix, and [[0],[0],[0]] is also a column vector.
What happens when you multiply the vector (2, 4, -1) by -1?
Explanation: Multiplying by -1 negates each component: (2, 4, -1) becomes (-2, -4, 1). The other options either wrongly indicate zeroing, duplicating, or incorrectly making all entries positive.