What are eigenvectors and eigenvalues in layman terms?

310 Views Asked by At

I am learning Singular Vector Decomposition (SVD) technique. It breaks a matrix X into 3 matrices U, S and $V^T$. U is formed by eigenvectors of matrix X.

My understanding is that eigenvectors are the independent components of a matrix using which other components can be formed. Am I correct?

Can we recreate the parent matrix just by knowing its eigenvectors?