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Matrices

Started by PartyOmNi Apr 15, 2004 at 11:25 PM 1 replies 750+ views

Original Post

Apr 15, 2004 at 11:25 PM

Hi, I''m a college student taking linear algebra at the moment. I suck at math, but I''m coping with it so I can program games. The question is, I understand matrices, but I have no clue what the application of most of these mathematics is for. ie...) scalar multiplication --> used for making a line longer. can someone help me what the use for all these non-sense is. I am suffering big time because I have no clue what linear transformation is all about, or what spanned sets are and such. Thank you!

PartyOmNi

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PartyOmNi

Apr 15, 2004 at 11:45 PM

sorry guys, I was being a lamer and didn''t search before I posted. I have found some interesting stuff in the search @ gamedev.net. Sorry for wasting your time.

boebi

Apr 15, 2004 at 11:46 PM

Mostly, you use matrices to transform vectors around a 3D scene. For instance, say you have a "point" represented by some vector [x, y, z, w] and you want to rotate it around or translate it or scale it. You are able to create a matrix that will multiply with your vector or "point" to move it in different ways.

Check out the matrix articles on this site in the "Articles and Resources" section if you havent done so already. They really do a great job explaining what all that linear algebra crap is for.

I just got out of my college linear algebra class, so I know that they dont really show you any applications to what you are learning. Trust me...you WILL need it later

Happy coding!

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