It has been far too long since i learned matrix math . . .
This request is not that important, but I am curious to know if there is any means of inverting a complex matrix in Excel, i.e. Gauss elimination methods.
My feeble internet search resulted in no direct means of completing the inverting task, but multiplying complex matrices is possible.
Appreciate any recommendations or otherwise.
Enter your matrix as you would by the cells, ie 2x2 using 2 rows and 2 columns
Select where you want the result to go, in same number, ie 2 x 2 cells selected
use the MINVERSE command, select the cells of your matrix and enter it as an array formula (CTRL + SHIFT + ENTER)
Excel MINVERSE function | Exceljet
Only works for square matrices though
that works for real numbers.
my request is for complex numbers, real and imaginary, i.e. 5+3i.
Complex matrices was the real power of Fortran, but I have not seen it anywhere else. You might have to have two matrices (real and imaginary), and have a long method of math functions to see that they stay intertied.
No easy commands it seems.
I believe MATLAB and GNU Octave (which is free) can invert complex matrices if you’re not tied to using Excel.
This reference on similar topic says
Microsoft Excel (MS) works fine with complex number operations and real matrix operations, however, although the fact is not explicit, I think that Excel does not have the features ready to multiply and to invert complex matrices (in which each element is a complex number).
The reference should be of interest to OP.
My bad.
All, thanks for the responses.
@Ussuri, yes, not “seeing” the written text happens to the best of us. i seem encounter this more often these days, so i started enlarging text or read important works twice.
i stumbled across this site: Complex Matrix Multiplication in Excel - EngineerExcel and note that complex matrix math can be done using excel. further search for inverting a complex matrix resulted in similar member responses.
i did see this response: Apache OpenOffice Community Forum - [Solved] Complex Number Matrices Inversion - (View topic), but i am struggling in understanding the concept. If anybody can help successfully deciphering this, i appreciate it.
@Stick, thank you as i just downloaded/installed GNU Octave. i’ll see how this application works.
I finally installed GNU Octave on the iMac. Now, this “retired brain” needs to learn a new language . . . I did find a manual online for my reading pleasure. So, my wishful excel exercise/challenge is suspended for now.
Thanks to all!
Note that since GNU Octave is mostly compatible with MATLAB, most of the time you can search for how to do something in either program, which should be handy while learning. Also, it’s a 1-indexed programming language, which may or may not be annoying at first, depending on what other languages you know (I find it’s really handy for matrix stuff, but MATLAB is also what I learned programming with, so I’m biased). Good luck!
Thank you & good to know!
I typed an example and it did not work. Lol n’ behold, the divisor symbol is the “other” slash, ("") - my eyes are tricky these days.
When I corrected, the complex matrix math was very simple, just like the formula. So instead of writing a whole program, i need to enter the matrixes, type the formula, and results are displayed. Much simpler than Fortran or Excel!
I’m more familiar w/ Fortran, Basic, (learned in early 80s) and VBA(ish).
What are the purpose of the Command, Editor, & Editor Windows? I searched the manual and did not see any documentation.
I think you accidentally triggered some formatting with the slash you typed, but yeah, the forward and backward slashes do different types of division in Octave. Also worth nothing that in Octave you can do either element wise or matrix operations, which are differentiated by a period before the operator. See this for more info: MATLAB Operators and Special Characters - MATLAB & Simulink
MATLAB/Octave is indeed much easier for certain calculations, especially anything matrix based (MATLAB is short for Matrix Laboratory).
As for the various windows: the editor is where you would write a program (a .m file) that you can then save and run. The command window allows you to directly enter commands without writing a program, and is also where most outputs will be displayed (if you don’t suppress them with a semicolon). It’s also where outputs are “printed” if you use a command like fprintf. The command history is just a list of all the commands you’ve made and I think you can redo them if you double click on something in the list. The workspace shows a list of all the variables, vectors, matrices, etc that are stored and that you have access to. You can clear things from here with the “clear” command. The variable editor allows you to open a variable in a spreadsheet like display and either view or manually edit it, although I don’t usually do any edits here (I prefer to make any changes via my program).
Well, you are likely correct regarding formatting and thank you for the link (now saved as bookmark). A quick observation of the operators means i have some to learn, which is aok.
Good to know the purposes of the various windows. I found a link with some “packages” and i downloaded some. I uploaded 1 and noticed the program (.m file) loaded into the editor window. Executing the file led to errors. I certainly do not care to debug programs written by others, so i can use the program for learning purposes.
@Stick Ya did good and I thank you!