A scalar matrix S

A scalar matrix S is a diagonal matrix whose diagonal elements all contain the same scalar value.
a1,1 = ai,i for (i = 1,2,3,..n)
[7
[0
[0

0
7
0

0]
0]
7]

In linear algebra, real numbers are called scalars and relate to vectors in a vector
space through the operation of scalar multiplication, in which a vector can be multiplied
by a number to produce another vector.[1][2][3] More generally, a vector space may be
defined by using any field instead of real numbers, such as complex numbers. Then the
scalars of that vector space will be the elements of the associated field.
A scalar product operation not to be confused with scalar multiplication may be
defined on a vector space, allowing two vectors to be multiplied to produce a scalar. A
vector space equipped with a scalar product is called an inner product space.
The real component of a quaternion is also called its scalar part.
The term is also sometimes used informally to mean a vector, matrix, tensor, or other
usually "compound" value that is actually reduced to a single component. Thus, for
example, the product of a 1n matrix and an n1 matrix, which is formally a 11 matrix,
is often said to be a scalar.
The term scalar matrix is used to denote a matrix of the form kI where k is a scalar
and I is the identity matrix.
Definitions and properties[edit]
Scalars of vector spaces[edit]
A vector space is defined as a set of vectors, a set of scalars, and a scalar
multiplication operation that takes a scalar k and a vector v to another vector kv. For
example,
yields

in

a coordinate

space,

the

scalar

multiplication

. In a (linear) function space, k is the function x k((x)).

The scalars can be taken from any field, including the rational, algebraic, real, and
complex numbers, as well as finite fields. a number by the elements inside the brackets.

Scalars as vector components[edit]

According to a fundamental theorem of linear algebra, every vector space has a basis. It
follows that every vector space over a scalar field K is isomorphic to a coordinate vector
space where the coordinates are elements of K. For example, every real vector space
of dimension n is isomorphic to n-dimensional real space Rn.
Scalars in normed vector spaces[edit]
Alternatively, a vector space V can be equipped with a norm function that assigns to
every vector v in V a scalar ||v||. By definition, multiplying v by a scalar k also multiplies
its norm by |k|. If ||v|| is interpreted as the length of v, this operation can be described
as scaling the length of v by k. A vector space equipped with a norm is called a normed
vector space (ornormed linear space).
The norm is usually defined to be an element of V's scalar field K, which restricts the
latter to fields that support the notion of sign. Moreover, if V has dimension 2 or
more, K must be closed under square root, as well as the four arithmetic operations;
thus the rational numbers Q are excluded, but the surd field is acceptable. For this
reason, not every scalar product space is a normed vector space.
Scalars in modules[edit]
When the requirement that the set of scalars form a field is relaxed so that it need only
form a ring (so that, for example, the division of scalars need not be defined, or the
scalars need not be commutative), the resulting more general algebraic structure is
called a module.
In this case the "scalars" may be complicated objects. For instance, if R is a ring, the
vectors of the product space Rn can be made into a module with the nn matrices with
entries from R as the scalars. Another example comes from manifold theory, where the
space of sections of the tangent bundle forms a module over the algebra of real
functions on the manifold.
Scaling transformation[edit]
The scalar multiplication of vector spaces and modules is a special case of scaling, a
kind of linear transformation.
Scalar operations (computer science)[edit]
Operations that apply to a single value at a time.