Sparse matrix storage is a specialized method for storing matrices that contain a significant number of zero elements. Instead of using a standard two-dimensional array, which would waste memory on these zeros, sparse matrix storage techniques focus on storing only the non-zero elements along with their indices. This approach can greatly reduce memory usage and improve computational efficiency, especially for large matrices.
Common formats for sparse matrix storage include:
By utilizing these formats, operations on sparse matrices can be performed more efficiently, significantly speeding up calculations in various applications such as machine learning, scientific computing, and graph theory.
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