In mathematics, a matrix (plural matrices) is a rectangular array or table of numbers, symbols, or expressions, arranged in rows and columns.A matrix is a rectangular array of numbers (or other mathematical objects) for which operations such as addition and multiplication are defined. Most commonly, a matrix over a field F is a rectangular array of scalars, each of which is a member of F. Most of this article focuses on real and complex matrices, that is, matrices whose elements are respectively real numbers or complex numbers.