Linear algebra is the branch of mathematics that deals with matrices, vectors and vector spaces, and systems of linear equations. A vector is any quantity that is represented by both an amount and a direction, like velocity or force, like an arrow of a certain length pointing a certain way. A vector can be represented by an ordered pair, triple, or more, like (3, 2, -1). This would stand for an arrow pointing from (0, 0, 0) to (3, 2, -1). We can find the length and direction using the ordered triple (3, 2, -1). A matrix (the plural is matrices) is like a table or array in which numbers are arranged in rows and columns. We can think of the rows of the matrix as vectors, and we can also think of the columns of a matrix as vectors. A system of linear equations is probably familiar to you, at least to some degree. It consists of more than 1 equation in which none of the variables are raised to any power other than 1, and any solution of the system will have to make all of the equations true.