A symmetric matrix is one that is equal to its transpose, i.e. A = A^T.
Consider the following 3-by-3 matrix:
{ 0 0 1 }
{ 1 0 0 }
{ 0 1 0 }
It can be seen that this is not a symmetric matrix. However, by interchanging rows (2) and (3), the matrix:
{ 0 0 1 }
{ 0 1 0 }
{ 1 0 0 }
is obtained. This...