Solving System of

Linear Equations

Prepared by: Engr. CHRISTOPHER CHAN

Linear Equations
A linear equation is an equation in which the highest power of
the variable is always 1. It is also known as a one-degree
equation. The standard form of a linear equation in one variable
is of the form Ax + B = 0. Here, x is a variable, A is a coefficient
and B is constant. The standard form of a linear equation in two
variables is of the form Ax + By = C. Here, x and y are variables,
A and B are coefficients and C is a constant.
What is a Linear Equation?
An equation that has the highest degree of 1 is known as a linear equation.
This means that no variable in a linear equation has an exponent more than 1.
The graph of a linear equation always forms a straight line.

Linear Equation Definition:

A linear equation is an algebraic equation where each term has an exponent of
1 and when this equation is graphed, it always results in a straight line. This is
the reason why it is named as a 'linear equation'.
There are linear equations in one variable and linear equations in two
variables. Let us learn how to identify linear equations and non-linear
equations with the help of the following examples.

Linear Equations in Standard Form

The standard form or the general form of linear equations

in one variable is written as, Ax + B = 0; where A and B
are real numbers, and x is the single variable. The standard
form of linear equations in two variables is expressed as, Ax
+ By = C; where A, B and C are any real numbers, and x
and y are the variables.
Linear Equation Graph
Solutions of Linear Equation
Solutions of Linear Equation refer to
the set of values of the variables in the
linear equations giving all possible
solutions.

What are the Solutions of a

Linear Equation?
The solutions of linear equations are
the points at which the lines or planes
representing the linear equations
intersect or meet each other. A solution
set of a system of linear equations is the
set of values to the variables of all
possible solutions.
Types of Solutions for Linear Equations
A system of linear equations can have 3 types of solutions.
 What is Echelon Form?
Echelon form means that the matrix is in one of two states:

❑ Row echelon form.

❑ Reduced row echelon form.

This means that the matrix meets the following three requirements:
2. The first number in the row (called a leading coefficient) is 1.
Note: some authors don’t require that the leading coefficient is a 1; it could be any
number.
2. Every leading 1 is to the right of the one above it.
3. Any non-zero rows are always above rows with all zeros.
The following examples are of matrices in echelon form:
The following examples are not in echelon form:

Matrix A does not have all-zero rows below non-zero rows.

Matrix B has a 1 in the 2nd position on the third row. For row echelon form, it
needs to be to the right of the leading coefficient above it. In other words, it
should be in the fourth position in place of the 3.
Matrix C has a 2 as a leading coefficient instead of a 1.
Matrix D has a -1 as a leading coefficient instead of a 1. `
What is Row Echelon Form?

A matrix is in row echelon form if it meets the following requirements:

•The first non-zero number from the left (the “leading coefficient“) is always to the
right of the first non-zero number in the row above.
•Rows consisting of all zeros are at the bottom of the matrix.

If the leading coefficient in each row is the only non-zero number in that column,
the matrix is said to be in reduced row echelon form.
What is Reduced Row Echelon Form?

Reduced row echelon form is a type of matrix used to solve systems of linear
equations. Reduced row echelon form has four requirements:

•The first non-zero number in the first row (the leading entry) is the number 1.
•The second row also starts with the number 1, which is further to the right than the
leading entry in the first row. For every subsequent row, the number 1 must be
further to the right.
•The leading entry in each row must be the only non-zero number in its column.
•Any non-zero rows are placed at the bottom of the matrix.
Transformation of a Matrix to Reduced Row Echelon Form

Any matrix can be transformed to reduced row echelon form, using a technique called
Gaussian elimination. This is particularly useful for solving systems of linear
equations.

1.Interchange one row with another.

2.Multiply one row by a non-zero constant.
3.Replace one row with: one row, plus a constant, times another
row.
Example 1:
Transform the matrix to
reduced row echelon form.

Solution:
Following the row reduction matrix method:

Ans
Example 2: Solution:
Row reduce the next Following the row reduction matrix method:
matrix to reduced echelon
form.
What is Gaussian elimination?

Gaussian elimination is the name of the method we use to perform the three types
of matrix row operations on an augmented matrix coming from a linear system of
equations in order to find the solutions for such system. This technique is also called
row reduction and it consists of two stages: Forward elimination and back substitution.

What are the steps of the Gauss elimination method?

The steps of the Gauss elimination method are

(1) Write the given system of linear equations in matrix form AX = B, where A is the
coefficient matrix, X is a column matrix of unknowns and B is the column matrix of the
constants.
(2) Reduce the augmented matrix [A : B] by elementary row operations to get [A’ : B’].
(3) We get A’ as an upper triangular matrix.
(4) By the backward substitution in A’X = B’, we get the solution of the given system of
linear equations.
Example 3: Solution:
If we were to have the Let us row-reduce (use Gaussian elimination)
following system of linear so we can simplify the matrix:
equations containing three
equations for three
unknowns:

Represent such system as an

augmented matrix like the one below:
 GAUSS-JORDAN REDUCTION METHOD

STEPS:
1.Write the augmented matrix.
2.Interchange rows if necessary to obtain a non-zero number in the first row, first
column.
3.Use a row operation to get a 1 as the entry in the first row and first column.
4.Use row operations to make all other entries as zeros in column one.
5.Interchange rows if necessary to obtain a nonzero number in the second row, second
column. Use a row operation to make this entry 1. Use row operations to make all other
entries as zeros in column two.
6.Repeat step 5 for row 3, column 3. Continue moving along the main diagonal until you
reach the last row, or until the number is zero.
The final matrix is called the reduced row-echelon form.
 Example 4:
Solve the following system
by the Gauss-Jordan
method.
2x+y+2z=10
x+2y+z =8
3x+y−z=2

SOLUTION:
1. Form the augmented matrix.

2. Transform the augmented

matrix into reduced row
echelon form, using
elementary row operations.
 Systems of Linear Equations – Special Cases

In this section, you will learn to:

1.Determine the linear systems that have no solution.

2.Solve the linear systems that have infinitely many solutions.

If we consider the intersection of two lines in a plane, three things can happen.
1.The lines intersect in exactly one point. This is called an independent system.
2.The lines are parallel, so they do not intersect. This is called an inconsistent
system.
3.The lines coincide; they intersect at infinitely many points. This is a dependent
system.
The figures below show all three cases.
Example 5:
Solve the following system of equations.

Solution:
Transform to augmented matrix then
convert to reduced echelon form

Augmented matrix Reduced echelon form

 The first equation reads
x−2z=1, therefore, x=1+2z
Example 6:
Solve the following system of equations. The second equation reads
y+3z=1, therefore, y=1−3z.

Let z=t,

the parametric solution is expressed as

Solution:
follows:
Transform to augmented matrix then
x=1+2t,
convert to reduced echelon form
y=1−3t,
z=t.

Values of x, y and z is dependent on

value of t which has infinite values,
Augmented matrix Reduced echelon form
therefore, there is infinite
solution!
Example 5:
Find the inverse of matrix A Reducing the matrix in row echelon
form yields

Inverse of A or A-1
HOMOGENEOUS SYSTEM
What is a Homogeneous System of Linear Equations?
A homogeneous system of linear equations is a linear system of equations in which
there are no constant terms. i.e., a homogeneous linear system is of the form:
a₁₁ x₁ + a₁₂ x₂ + ... + a₁ x = 0
a₂₁ x₁ + a₂₂ x₂ + ... + a₂ x = 0
....
a ₁ x₁ + a ₂ x₂ + ... + a x =0
This is a system in 'n' unknowns (x₁, x₂, ..., x ), and in each equation, the constant
term is 0.

Types:
1) Trivial solutions – all variables are equal to zeros.
2) Non-trivial solutions – not all variables are zeros.
Example: Example:
LU – FACTORIZATION

An nxn matrix is said to be in triangular form when it satisfies the following

properties:
1. A is either an upper or lower triangular matrix.
2. All the diagonal entries of A are different from zero.

A linear system AX=B is in triangular form if its coefficient matrix A is in triangular

form. Any linear system of equations that is triangular form can be solved directly by
either forward or back substitution.

Say A=LU which means A has an LU factorization or an LU decomposition where L is

lower triangular matrix and U is upper triangular matrix. The LU factotorization can
efficiently solve a linear system AX=B.
It follows that AX= B is equivalent to (LU)X=B. Let UX=Z, then we have LZ=B.
Since L is in lower triangular form, then we solve directly for Z by forward
substitution. Next, since U is in upper triangular form, we solve UX=Z for X by back
substitution.
LU factorization can be done with these methods:

1. By Row operation method

2. Doolittle’s method
3. Crout’s method
4. Cholesky’s method
A. BY ROW OPERATION METHOD
B. DOOLITTLE’S METHOD
Uses LU factorization of A when the diagonal elements Lii of L have a unit value
C. CROUT’S METHOD
It is a decomposition in which diagonal elements Uii have a unit value.

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D. CHOLESKY’S METHOD
Unlike the Doolittle and Crout’s method, it does not have any condition for the main diagonal
entries . For a symmetric, positive definitive matrix, this relation in A=LU yields A=LLT.
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Assignment / Exercise

1. Give one example for each solution for system of linear equations (Gaussian elimination and
Gauss-Jordan Reduction method) using row operation. Minimum of 3 unknown variables.

2. Give one example for each solution for system of linear equations (row operation method, Doolittle’s
method, Crout’s method, and Cholesky’s method) by LU factorization. Minimum of 3 unknown variables.

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on-forms