On Semi—tensor Product of Matrices and Its Applications

The left semi-tensor product of matrices was proposed in [2]. In this paper the right semi-tensor product is introduced first. Some basic properties are presented and compared with those of the left semi-tensor product.Then two new applications are investigated. Firstly, its applications to connection, an important concept in differential geometry, is considered. The structure matrix and the Christoffel matrix are introduced. The transfer formulas under coordinate transformation are expressed in matrix form. Certain new results are obtained.Secondly, the structure of finite dimensional Lie algebra, etc. are investigated under the matrix expression. These applications demonstrate the usefulness of the new matrix products.