Eigenvalues

/ˈaɪɡən.ˌvæljuz/ noun

Definition

In mathematics and physics, special numbers associated with a linear transformation that describe how vectors are scaled when the transformation is applied.

Etymology

From German 'eigen' (own) plus 'value,' a mathematical concept that became central to linear algebra, quantum mechanics, and data science in the 20th century.

Kelly Says

Eigenvalues are hidden in data everywhere—Google's PageRank algorithm (that ranked search results) is basically just finding the most important eigenvalue of the internet's link structure.

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