Don't ask why, but today I needed to solve a simple 3 x 3 matrix. Since I was a bit rusty, I first wanted to make sure that my system of equations had a finite solution. A quick google turned up a basic
Javascript matrix calculator for 3 x 3 matrices, just what I needed. The online calculator quickly told me the solution to my problem. But, I had to implement this in code, so I figured I should be able to work it out on paper myself first.
An hour or two later, I was able to arrive at the same solution. During my struggle, I wished that the online calculator would "show its work" to see where I went astray. It didn't. Another few searches on google turned up no results. I guess this is a niche I should fill. I don't have time to do it now, but I would like to create a server-side app that not only solves a 3 x 3, but shows the steps along the way, with some explanation of what is happening. I found the
tutorial on this site quite helpful in really explaining the steps and why the steps work. I plan on incorporating the work of both sites into a solver that explains step-by-step how the solution was reached.
Posted under the influence of [[Johnny Cash :: When the Man Comes Around]]