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A square matrix is a mathematical matrix that has an equal number of rows and columns. Matrices are rectangular arrays of numbers, used in various fields like engineering, physics, economics, and statistics.12

A key concept associated with square matrices is the determinant, which is a specific value calculated from the elements of the matrix. The determinant is useful for determining if a system of equations has a solution. For a 2x2 matrix, the determinant is calculated as (a_{11}a_{22} - a_{12}a_{21}).3

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