Polynomial evaluated at a matrix ($p(A)={\sum }_{j=0}^d{a}_j{A}^j$)

For a polynomial $p(t)={\sum }_{j=0}^d{a}_j{t}^j$, substitute a fixed square matrix $A$ for $t$, taking $A^0=I$. In particular, $p(t)=t^2-3t+1$ becomes $p(A)=A^2-3A+I$, not $A^2-3A$ with the scalar $1$ added separately to each entry. Polynomials in the same matrix commute with each other, even though arbitrary matrix multiplication is noncommutative.