How to Input Mathematical Expressions and Special Symbols in Matrix Calculator

Matrix Calculator (matrixcalc.org) accepts more than plain numbers in each cell. You can type decimal fractions, full mathematical expressions, matrix literals, named functions, constants like pi and e, and units like rad and deg directly into the input fields. Type the value or expression into a matrix cell and click the operation button — the calculator parses the expression before computing. This works for both matrix A and matrix B, and for the expression-based input modes such as A*X=B.

What you can type into a cell

The calculator's own help text lists four categories of accepted input.

Numbers and fractions

Mathematical expressions

You can enter a whole expression instead of a single value, for example 2/3+3*(10-4) or (1+x)/y^2. Supported operators include +, -, *, /, \, !, ^, ^{*}, and comparison signs such as ≠, =, ⩾, ⩽, >, <. Separators , and ; are also recognized.

Matrix literals

A matrix can be written inline with curly braces: {{1,3},{4,5}}. Each inner brace pair is a row. This is useful in the expression input modes, for example {{1,2,3},{4,5,6},{7,2,9}}^(-1).

Functions, constants, and units

• Functions: sqrt, cbrt, exp, log, abs, conjugate, arg, min, max, gcd, rank, adjugate, inverse, determinant, transpose, pseudoinverse, trace, and the trigonometric/hyperbolic families (cos, sin, tan, cot, cosh, sinh, tanh, coth, and their arc/ar inverses), plus derivative, factor, and resultant.
• Constants: pi, e, i.
• Integers: k, n.
• Identity matrix: I or E.
• Matrix symbols: X, Y.
• Units: rad, deg — for example cos(3.142rad).

Step-by-step: entering an expression

1. Click into a cell of Matrix A (or Matrix B).
2. Type the expression, e.g. 2^0.5 or sin(phi).
3. Move between cells with Enter, Space, or the arrow keys; delete with Backspace or Delete.
4. Leave extra cells empty if you need a non-square matrix.
5. Click the operation button (Determinant, Inverse, Transpose, Rank, Multiply by, Row echelon form, Diagonal matrix, To the power of, LU decomposition, Cholesky decomposition, and so on).

Expected result: the calculator evaluates the expression first, then applies the operation. For example, entering {{1,2,3},{4,5,6},{7,2,9}}^(-1) returns the inverse of that 3×3 matrix.

Practical tips

• Powers and roots: use ^ for powers (2^0.5 for √2, 2^(1/3) for a cube root) or the sqrt/cbrt functions.
• Copy and paste: Ctrl/Cmd + C and Ctrl/Cmd + V work for matrices, and you can drag-and-drop matrices from the results or between the calculator and a text editor.
• Display precision: the interface lets you set the number of fraction digits and the number of significant digits for the output.
• Cleaning input: the ↶ Clean control clears the current input.

Common sticking points

• Repeating decimals need the parentheses form -1.3(56), not a plain decimal.
• e is overloaded: in 1.2e-4 it is scientific notation, while standalone e is Euler's constant.
• Units matter for trig: cos(3.142rad) and cos(3.142deg) give different results, so state the unit when it isn't radians by default.
• Non-square matrices: leave the unused cells empty rather than filling them with zeros.