The duplication matrix Dn is the unique n2 × n(n+1)/2 matrix which, for any n × nsymmetric matrixA, transforms vech(A) into vec(A):
Dn vech(A) = vec(A).
For the 2×2 symmetric matrix A = \left[\begin{smallmatrix} a & b \\ b & d \end{smallmatrix}\right], this transformation reads
\begin{bmatrix} 1&0&0 \\ 0&1&0 \\ 0&1&0 \\ 0&0&1 \end{bmatrix} \begin{bmatrix} a \\ b \\ d \end{bmatrix} = \begin{bmatrix} a \\ b \\ b \\ d \end{bmatrix}
Elimination matrix
The elimination matrix Ln is the unique n(n+1)/2 × n2 matrix which, for any n × n matrix A, transforms vec(A) into vech(A):
For the 2×2 matrix A = \left[\begin{smallmatrix} a & b \\ c & d \end{smallmatrix}\right], this transformation reads
\begin{bmatrix} 1&0&0&0 \\ 0&1&0&0 \\ 0&0&0&1 \end{bmatrix} \begin{bmatrix} a \\ c \\ b \\ d \end{bmatrix} = \begin{bmatrix} a \\ c \\ d \end{bmatrix}.