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In
mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
, particularly
linear algebra Linear algebra is the branch of mathematics concerning linear equations such as: :a_1x_1+\cdots +a_nx_n=b, linear maps such as: :(x_1, \ldots, x_n) \mapsto a_1x_1+\cdots +a_nx_n, and their representations in vector spaces and through matrice ...
, a zero matrix or null matrix is a
matrix Matrix most commonly refers to: * ''The Matrix'' (franchise), an American media franchise ** '' The Matrix'', a 1999 science-fiction action film ** "The Matrix", a fictional setting, a virtual reality environment, within ''The Matrix'' (franchi ...
all of whose entries are
zero 0 (zero) is a number representing an empty quantity. In place-value notation such as the Hindu–Arabic numeral system, 0 also serves as a placeholder numerical digit, which works by Multiplication, multiplying digits to the left of 0 by th ...
. It also serves as the
additive identity In mathematics, the additive identity of a set that is equipped with the operation of addition is an element which, when added to any element ''x'' in the set, yields ''x''. One of the most familiar additive identities is the number 0 from elemen ...
of the additive group of m \times n matrices, and is denoted by the symbol O or 0 followed by subscripts corresponding to the dimension of the matrix as the context sees fit. Some examples of zero matrices are : 0_ = \begin 0 \end ,\ 0_ = \begin 0 & 0 \\ 0 & 0 \end ,\ 0_ = \begin 0 & 0 & 0 \\ 0 & 0 & 0 \end .\


Properties

The set of m \times n matrices with entries in a ring K forms a ring K_. The zero matrix 0_ \, in K_ \, is the matrix with all entries equal to 0_K \, , where 0_K is the
additive identity In mathematics, the additive identity of a set that is equipped with the operation of addition is an element which, when added to any element ''x'' in the set, yields ''x''. One of the most familiar additive identities is the number 0 from elemen ...
in K. : 0_ = \begin 0_K & 0_K & \cdots & 0_K \\ 0_K & 0_K & \cdots & 0_K \\ \vdots & \vdots & \ddots & \vdots \\ 0_K & 0_K & \cdots & 0_K \end_ The zero matrix is the additive identity in K_ \, . That is, for all A \in K_ \, it satisfies the equation :0_+A = A + 0_ = A. There is exactly one zero matrix of any given dimension ''m''×''n'' (with entries from a given ring), so when the context is clear, one often refers to ''the'' zero matrix. In general, the zero element of a ring is unique, and is typically denoted by 0 without any
subscript A subscript or superscript is a character (such as a number or letter) that is set slightly below or above the normal line of type, respectively. It is usually smaller than the rest of the text. Subscripts appear at or below the baseline, whil ...
indicating the parent ring. Hence the examples above represent zero matrices over any ring. The zero matrix also represents the
linear transformation In mathematics, and more specifically in linear algebra, a linear map (also called a linear mapping, linear transformation, vector space homomorphism, or in some contexts linear function) is a mapping V \to W between two vector spaces that pre ...
which sends all the
vector Vector most often refers to: *Euclidean vector, a quantity with a magnitude and a direction *Vector (epidemiology), an agent that carries and transmits an infectious pathogen into another living organism Vector may also refer to: Mathematic ...
s to the
zero vector In mathematics, a zero element is one of several generalizations of 0, the number zero to other algebraic structures. These alternate meanings may or may not reduce to the same thing, depending on the context. Additive identities An additive iden ...
. It is
idempotent Idempotence (, ) is the property of certain operations in mathematics and computer science whereby they can be applied multiple times without changing the result beyond the initial application. The concept of idempotence arises in a number of pl ...
, meaning that when it is multiplied by itself, the result is itself. The zero matrix is the only matrix whose
rank Rank is the relative position, value, worth, complexity, power, importance, authority, level, etc. of a person or object within a ranking, such as: Level or position in a hierarchical organization * Academic rank * Diplomatic rank * Hierarchy * ...
is 0.


Occurrences

The mortal matrix problem is the problem of determining, given a finite set of ''n'' × ''n'' matrices with integer entries, whether they can be multiplied in some order, possibly with repetition, to yield the zero matrix. This is known to be undecidable for a set of six or more 3 × 3 matrices, or a set of two 15 × 15 matrices. In
ordinary least squares In statistics, ordinary least squares (OLS) is a type of linear least squares method for choosing the unknown parameters in a linear regression model (with fixed level-one effects of a linear function of a set of explanatory variables) by the ...
regression, if there is a perfect fit to the data, the annihilator matrix is the zero matrix.


See also

*
Identity matrix In linear algebra, the identity matrix of size n is the n\times n square matrix with ones on the main diagonal and zeros elsewhere. Terminology and notation The identity matrix is often denoted by I_n, or simply by I if the size is immaterial or ...
, the multiplicative identity for matrices * Matrix of ones, a matrix where all elements are one *
Nilpotent matrix In linear algebra, a nilpotent matrix is a square matrix ''N'' such that :N^k = 0\, for some positive integer k. The smallest such k is called the index of N, sometimes the degree of N. More generally, a nilpotent transformation is a linear tr ...
* Single-entry matrix, a matrix where all but one element is zero


References

{{Matrix classes Matrices 0 (number) Sparse matrices