A matrix used for multiplying a point matrix to give a new point matrix.
a mathematically shorthand way of describing the positioning, rotating, and sizing of an object. When a transformation matrix is applied to an object it will often be in a different place, orientation, and size afterwards. The inverse of a transformation matrix will restore the object to its original place, orientation, and size.
Two-by-two matrices are used at several stages in TrueType fonts. First is the transformation decided by point-size, the device and the *resolution. (Remember some devices have non-square pixels.) Second is the transformation given by the current zoom ratio, and any rotations, shears or reflections. Third is the transformation associated with components of *composite *glyphs (which also have and offsets). Unfortunately Microsoft coded this last transformation wrongly in Windows 3.1 - only simple reflections worked. Windows 95 and NT4 got it almost right... the word is they'll soon converge back on the original Apple method. That transformation matrices are used so extensively relies on a very useful propery of *Bézier curves - that by simply transforming the control points of a curve by a certain matrix, the resulting curve is exactly as though every point on the curve was transformed by that same matrix. Note that the same is not true for circular, elliptical or spiral curve descriptions.
In linear algebra, linear transformations can be represented by matrices.