I'm reading about Leslie matrices and I think I get the main idea. In the matrix, for instance,
$$ \left( \begin{matrix} .2 & 1.1 & .5 \\ .9 & 0 & 0 \\ 0 & .7 & 0 \end{matrix}\right)$$
the entry in the $i,j$ coordinate is a factor by which, in a population vector the $j$th population group contributes to the $i$th population group. Thus in the 1,2 position, the 1.1 value means that the 2nd population group has a birth rate of 1.1. The value in the 2,1 coordinate is the rate at which the first population group ages into the next population group. Because no part of any population group stays the same age, then the diagonals are all zero ...
Except for that diagonal entry at 1,1. If the first age group is 0-9 years old, like the one I'm looking at in a resource on the subject ... does that mean 0 to 9-year-olds are makin babies? I know I started late but damn.
Am I interpreting this matrix correctly?