Introduction to Matrices: A Tutorial for Physical Chemists©
Melissa S. Reeves Department of Chemistry Tuskegee University Tuskegee, AL 36088 United States mail to: MREEVES@Acd.Tusk.Edu
Abstract
In this document the author provides a series of lessons and exercises through which students can learn some fundamental concepts about matrices and practice elementary matrix algebra. The author goes on to show how matrices can be used for representing the structure of a molecule in terms of the Cartesian coordinates. Symmetry operations on coordinates of molecules can be represented by matrix algebra. CH4 is the molecule used to illustrate a rotation matrix operation on the coordinate matrix to yield a new view of the molecule. This document would serve as an introduction to matrices and how they are used in physical chemistry. It would also be useful as a document for learning to use Mathcad. Development of this document was made possible by the NSF-supported 1997 "Workshop for Integration of Numerical Methods into the Undergraduate Physical Chemistry Curriculum Using the Mathcad Software" at the University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama. See also An Introduction to Mathcad.
Keywords
Audiences: Upper-Division Undergraduate Pedagogies: Computer-Based Learning Domains: Physical Chemistry Topics: Chemometrics, Mathematics / Symbolic Mathematics
Documents
File Name Description Software Type Software Version intromatrix.mcd Mathcad Computational Document Mathcad intromatrix.pdf Read-Only Document
Comments to: Melissa S. Reeves at MREEVES@Acd.Tusk.Edu
©Copyright Melissa S. Reeves, 1997. All rights reserved. You are welcome to use this document in your own classes but commercial use is not allowed without the permission of the author.