  We consider the related tasks of matrix completion and matrix approximation
from missing data and propose adaptive sampling procedures for both problems.
We show that adaptive sampling allows one to eliminate standard incoherence
assumptions on the matrix row space that are necessary for passive sampling
procedures. For exact recovery of a low-rank matrix, our algorithm judiciously
selects a few columns to observe in full and, with few additional measurements,
projects the remaining columns onto their span. This algorithm exactly recovers
an $n \times n$ rank $r$ matrix using $O(nr\mu_0 \log^2(r))$ observations,
where $\mu_0$ is a coherence parameter on the column space of the matrix. In
addition to completely eliminating any row space assumptions that have pervaded
the literature, this algorithm enjoys a better sample complexity than any
existing matrix completion algorithm. To certify that this improvement is due
to adaptive sampling, we establish that row space coherence is necessary for
passive sampling algorithms to achieve non-trivial sample complexity bounds.
  For constructing a low-rank approximation to a high-rank input matrix, we
propose a simple algorithm that thresholds the singular values of a zero-filled
version of the input matrix. The algorithm computes an approximation that is
nearly as good as the best rank-$r$ approximation using $O(nr\mu \log^2(n))$
samples, where $\mu$ is a slightly different coherence parameter on the matrix
columns. Again we eliminate assumptions on the row space.
