Sparse matrix

A matrix is like a big table with rows and columns where we can store numbers or other information. A sparse matrix is a special type of matrix where most of the cells (the boxes where numbers are stored) are empty.

We can use the sparse matrix to save space since we only need to store the value of the cells that have numbers, and we don't use up any memory to store the empty cells.

So, imagine you have a big table with a lot of numbers but most of them are zeros. A sparse matrix is like a smaller table that only keeps track of the non-zero numbers, making it more efficient and faster to work with.