Is There a Standard Notation for Matrix Rows and Columns?

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    Matrix Notation
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the notation used to denote the i-th row and j-th column of matrices. Participants explore various notational conventions and their applicability in mathematical proofs and contexts.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants mention that there are several notations for denoting the i-th row and j-th column of a matrix, referencing a Wikipedia article for context.
  • One participant suggests using the notation ##a_{i,*}## for the i-th row and proposes that rows and columns could be represented as vectors.
  • A participant expresses a need for notation to indicate the i-th column of matrix A and the j-th row of matrix B in a proof.
  • Another participant shares their personal notation, using ##A_{\bullet i}## for the i-th column and ##A_{j\bullet}## for the j-th row.
  • It is noted that there is no universally accepted standard notation for matrix rows and columns, with some journals having specific style guides.
  • A participant cites that the main ISO standard for matrix notation specifies bold-face type, but does not establish a standard notation for rows and columns.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that there is no standard notation for matrix rows and columns, but multiple competing notational conventions are presented without consensus on a single preferred method.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the lack of a universally accepted notation and the dependence on specific contexts or style guides that may vary across journals.

Max.Planck
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Is there notation to denote the i-th row of a Matrix or j-th column?
 
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Yes - several. What was the context?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matrix_(mathematics)#Notation

eg. if ##a_{i,j}## denotes the i/jth element of ##\mathbf{A}## then ##a_{i,*}## is a common way to denote the ith row of ##\mathbf{A}##... or maybe the rows and columns would be represented as vectors.
 
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For example in a proof I would like to say:

\exists i such that the i-th column of A = the j-th row of B, basically I'm looking for the notation of i-th column, and j-th row.
 
I sometimes use the notation A_{\bullet i} to denote the i-th column and A_{j\bullet} to denote the j-th row.
 
Is there a standard for notation?
 
Is there a standard for notation?
No - as the wikipedia article (see link above) points out there is no standard (i.e. ISO standard) notation. Some journals may specify a particular form in their style guides. afaik the main ISO standard for matrix notation specifies bold-face (poss bf-italics).

Per your example: one would most commonly write something like:$$\mathbf{A},\mathbf{B}\in \mathbb{M}_{m\times n}; a_{i,j}\in \mathbf{A}, b_{i,j}\in \mathbf{B}: a_{i,*}=b_{*,i}$$... and be fairly confident of being understood to mean that the ith row of A is the same as the ith column of B (pretty much the transpose but a fair example and you can have different functions of the row/column numbers.)
 

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