ei·gen·vec·tor
(ī′gən-vĕk′tər)n. A vector whose direction is unchanged by a given transformation and whose magnitude is changed by a factor corresponding to that vector's eigenvalue. In quantum mechanics, the transformations involved are operators corresponding to a physical system's observables. The eigenvectors correspond to possible states of the system, and the eigenvalues to possible observed values.
[Partial translation of German Eigenvektor : eigen-, characteristic; see eigenvalue + Vektor, vector.]
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eigenvector
(ˈaɪɡənˌvɛktə) n (Mathematics) maths physics a vector x satisfying an equation Ax = λx, where A is a square matrix and λ is a constant
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