Britannica Sources used in this answer

How are rows and columns used to describe the size of a matrix?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

In linear algebra, the size of a matrix is determined by the number of rows and columns it contains.

If a matrix has m rows and n columns, it is referred to as an "m by n" matrix, which is mathematically denoted as m Γ— n.1

For example, a matrix with two rows and three columns is described as a 2 Γ— 3 matrix. When a matrix has an equal number of rows and columns (where n rows and n columns exist), it is specifically called a square matrix of order n.1