Lesson plan
Matrix multiplication algorithm
Because matrix multiplication is such a central operation in many numerical algorithms, much work has been invested in making matrix multiplication algorithms efficient. Applications of matrix multiplication in computational problems are found in many fields including scientific computing and pattern recognition and in seemingly unrelated problems such as counting the paths through a graph. Many different algorithms have been designed for multiplying matrices on different types of hardware, including parallel and distributed systems, where the computational work is spread over multiple processors (perhaps over a network). Directly applying the mathematical definition of matrix multiplication gives an algorithm that takes time on the order of field operations to multiply two matrices over that field ( in big O notation). Better asymptotic bounds on the time required to multiply matrices have been known since the Strassen's algorithm in the 1960s, but the optimal time (that is, the computational complexity of matrix multiplication) remains unknown. , the best bound on the asymptotic complexity of a matrix multiplication algorithm is time, given by Alman, Duan, Williams, Xu, Xu, and Zhou. However, this algorithm is a galactic algorithm because of the large constants and cannot be realized practically.
Article summary
Because matrix multiplication is such a central operation in many numerical algorithms, much work has been invested in making matrix multiplication algorithms efficient. Applications of matrix multiplication in computational problems are found in many fields including scientific computing and pattern recognition and in seemingly unrelated problems such as counting the paths through a graph. Many different algorithms have been designed for multiplying matrices on different types of hardware, including parallel and distributed systems, where the computational work is spread over multiple processors (perhaps over a network). Directly applying the mathematical definition of matrix multiplication gives an algorithm that takes time on the order of field operations to multiply two matrices over that field ( in big O notation). Better asymptotic bounds on the time required to multiply matrices have been known since the Strassen's algorithm in the 1960s, but the optimal time (that is, the computational complexity of matrix multiplication) remains unknown. , the best bound on the asymptotic complexity of a matrix multiplication algorithm is time, given by Alman, Duan, Williams, Xu, Xu, and Zhou. However, this algorithm is a galactic algorithm because of the large constants and cannot be realized practically.
Key claims
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.