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Matrix vs Complex - What's the difference?

matrix | complex |

As nouns the difference between matrix and complex

is that matrix is matrix while complex is a problem.

As an adjective complex is

made up of multiple parts; composite; not simple.

As a verb complex is

(chemistry|intransitive) to form a complex with another substance.

matrix

English

Noun

(en-noun)
  • The womb.
  • * 1646 , Sir Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica , III.17:
  • upon conception the inward orifice of the matrix exactly closeth, so that it commonly admitteth nothing after [...].
  • * 1969 , Vladimir Nabokov, Ada or Ardor , Penguin 2011, p. 296:
  • In very rare cases, when the matrix just goes on pegging away automatically, the doctor can take advantage of that and ease out the second brat who then can be considered to be, say, three minutes younger [...].
  • (biology) The material or tissue in which more specialized structures are embedded.
  • (biology) An extracellular matrix, the material or tissue between the cells of animals or plants.
  • (biology) Part of the mitochondrion.
  • (biology) The medium in which bacteria are cultured.
  • (mathematics) A rectangular arrangement of numbers or terms having various uses such as transforming coordinates in geometry, solving systems of linear equations in linear algebra and representing graphs in graph theory.
  • (computing) A two-dimensional array.
  • A table of data.
  • (geology) A geological matrix, the outer material of a rock consisting of larger grains embedded in a material consisting of smaller ones.
  • (archaeology and paleontology) The sediment surrounding and including the artifacts, features, and other materials at a site.
  • (analytical chemistry) The environment from which a given sample is taken.
  • Synonyms

    * (mathematics) array, table * (table of data) array, grid, spreadsheet, table * (computing) array

    Derived terms

    * dot matrix * extracellular matrix * geological matrix * matricial

    complex

    Adjective

    (complex number) (en adjective)
  • Made up of multiple parts; composite; not simple.
  • a complex''' being; a '''complex idea
  • * John Locke
  • Ideas thus made up of several simple ones put together, I call complex ; such as beauty, gratitude, a man, an army, the universe.
  • Not simple, easy, or straightforward; complicated.
  • * Whewell
  • When the actual motions of the heavens are calculated in the best possible way, the process is difficult and complex .
  • (mathematics) Of a number, of the form a + bi'', where ''a'' and ''b'' are real numbers and ''i is a square root of −1.
  • complex function
  • (geometry) A curve, polygon or other figure that crosses or intersects itself.
  • Synonyms

    * (not simple) complicated, detailed, difficult, hard, intricate, involved, tough

    Antonyms

    * (not simple) basic, easy, simple, straightforward

    Derived terms

    * complexity * complexness

    Noun

  • A problem.
  • A collection of buildings with a common purpose, such as a university or military base.
  • Assemblage of related things; collection.
  • * South
  • This parable of the wedding supper comprehends in it the whole complex of all the blessings and privileges exhibited by the gospel.
  • A psychological dislike or fear of a particular thing.
  • An organized cluster of thunderstorms.
  • (chemistry) A structure consisting of a central atom or molecule weakly connected to surrounding atoms or molecules.
  • * {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=September-October, author= Katie L. Burke
  • , magazine=(American Scientist), title= In the News , passage=Oxygen levels on Earth skyrocketed 2.4 billion years ago, when cyanobacteria evolved photosynthesis:

    Derived terms

    * military-entertainment complex * military-industrial complex * Oedipus complex * prison-industrial complex * vitamin B complex * protein complex * chelate complex

    Verb

    (es)
  • (chemistry) To form a complex with another substance