In linear algebra, a diagonal matrix is a matrix in which the entries outside the main diagonal are all zero; the term usually refers to square matrices. Elements of the main diagonal can either be zero or nonzero. An example of a 2×2 diagonal matrix is , while an example of a 3×3 diagonal matrix is. An identity matrix of any size, or any multiple of it is a diagonal matrix called a scalar matrix, for example, . In geometry, a diagonal matrix may be used as a scaling matrix, since matrix multiplication with it results in changing scale (size) and possibly also shape; only a scalar matrix results in uniform change in scale.
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