Element-wise Reciprocal Calculator
Compute 1/x for every element of a matrix. No entry may be zero.
Loading calculator…
Notes
Element-wise Reciprocal
The element-wise reciprocal replaces each entry with its multiplicative inverse: each A[i][j] becomes 1/A[i][j].
Example
Input A:
| 2 | 4 |
| 5 | 10 |
Element-wise 1/A:
| 0.5 | 0.25 |
| 0.2 | 0.1 |
If any entry is zero, the reciprocal is undefined. This calculator shows an error for zero entries.
See also
- Matrix Calculations Guide — Element-wise Operations — In-depth notes on Element-wise Operations with worked examples
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the same as the matrix inverse?
No. The matrix inverse A⁻¹ satisfies A·A⁻¹ = I. The element-wise reciprocal simply flips each entry to 1/entry — a completely different operation.
When is element-wise reciprocal useful?
In element-wise division (A ⊘ B = A ⊙ (1/B)), in normalizing rows by their magnitude, and in some statistical matrix operations.
Is element-wise reciprocal the same as element-wise power −1?
Yes. 1/x = x^(−1), so this is a special case of the element-wise power operation with exponent −1.