11.4. More Than Just Tongue Twisters: Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors

Eigenvalues and eigenvectors are the last tools you need to solve systems of linear first order differential equations. These two items give you the ability to transform matrices into very simple forms.

Say you want to transform a matrix (such as A) so that when you multiply it by a vector (such as x), you get back A multiplied by some constant, which is λ.