This is a complicated subject, which can't be explained in a few
words. Read the Wikipedia article on "eigenvalue"; or better yet,
read a book on linear algebra. Briefly, and quoting from the
Wikipedia, "The eigenvectors of a square matrix are the non-zero
vectors that, after being multiplied by the matrix, remain parallel
to the original vector. For each eigenvector, the corresponding
eigenvalue is the factor by which the eigenvector is scaled when
multiplied by the matrix."