SPSS® 12.0 Command Syntax Reference

MATRIX—END MATRIX 917
signs; and the splitting of statements across multiple lines. However, commas are required to
separate arguments to matrix functions and procedures and to separate variable names on the
RELEASE statement.
Matrix statements are composed of the following elements:
• Keywords, such as the names of matrix statements.
• Variable names.
• Explicitly written matrices, which are enclosed within braces ({}).
• Arithmetic and logical operators.
• Matrix functions.
• The SPSS command terminator, which serves as a statement terminator within a matrix
program.
Comments in Matrix Programs
Within a matrix program, you can enter comments in any of the forms recognized by SPSS:
on lines beginning with the COMMENT command, on lines beginning with an asterisk, or between
the characters /* and */ on a command line.
Matrix Notation in SPSS
To write a matrix explicitly:
• Enclose the matrix within braces ({}).
• Separate the elements of each row by commas.
• Separate the rows by semicolons.
• String elements must be enclosed in either apostrophes or quotation marks, as is generally
true in the SPSS command language.
Example
{1,2,3;4,5,6}
• The example represents the following matrix:
123
456
Example
{1,2,3}
• This example represents a row vector:
123