This text presents the basic ideas of matrix and linear algebra in such a way that students from diverse majors (who have had some exposure to calculus) will find this text very clear. Both algebraic and geometric reasoning are featured throughout. A spiral approach gradually introduces the abstract foundations of the topics involved—linear combination, closure, subspaces, linear independence/dependence, and bases. Opportunities for a variety of applications, and the optional use of MATLAB, provide hands-on explorations of computations and concepts.