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Ax B PDF

1) A square matrix A has a unique solution to the equation Ax = b if and only if the only solution to Ax = 0 is x = 0. 2) This can be restated as Ax = b having a unique solution when the columns of A (A1, A2, ..., An) are linearly independent. 3) The proof uses Gaussian elimination to show that any square system Ax = b can be transformed into an equivalent upper triangular system Ux = c, which has a unique solution if and only if the original system Ax = b has a unique solution.

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52 views2 pages

Ax B PDF

1) A square matrix A has a unique solution to the equation Ax = b if and only if the only solution to Ax = 0 is x = 0. 2) This can be restated as Ax = b having a unique solution when the columns of A (A1, A2, ..., An) are linearly independent. 3) The proof uses Gaussian elimination to show that any square system Ax = b can be transformed into an equivalent upper triangular system Ux = c, which has a unique solution if and only if the original system Ax = b has a unique solution.

Uploaded by

Mahima
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Ax = b and Ax = 0

Theorem 1. Let A be a square n × n matrix. Then Ax = b has a unique solution if and only if the only
solution of Ax = 0 is x = 0. Let A = [A1 , A2 , . . . , An ]. A rephrasing of this is (in the square case) Ax = b
has a unique solution exactly when {A1 , A2 , . . . , An } is a linearly independent set.
Proof. First, if Ax = b has a unique solution (call it x1 ), then Ay = 0 can’t have nonero solution. For if
we have Ay = 0 with y 6= 0 then x1 + y would give a new solution of Ax = b.
So assume the only solution of Ax = 0 is x = 0. Consider the equations

a11 x1 + a12 x2 + · · · + a1n xn =0


a21 x1 + a22 x2 + · · · + a2n xn =0
..
. =0
an1 x1 + an2 x2 + · · · + ann xn =0

The coefficients of x1 cannot all be 0 or else x1 = 1, x2 = 0, . . . , xn = 0 would be a non zero solution of


Ax = 0. By rearranging the equations we may assume a11 6= 0 and subtract multiples of the first equation
from the rest to produce a new set of equivalent equations

a11 x1 + a12 x2 + · · · + a1n xn =0


+ a22 x2 + · · · + a2n xn =0
..
. =0
+ an2 x2 + · · · + ann xn = 0,

where I have used the same letters aij to represent the new equivalent equations (which still only have
x = 0 as solution). Proceeding in a similar manner (perhaps by interchanging some rows) we get a set of
equivalent equations (new notation) of the form
   x  0
u11 u12 u13 . . . u1n 1
 0 u22 u23 . . . u2n    2  0
x   
Ux =   = 
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  ...   ... 
 

0 0 0 . . . unn xn 0
where every ukk 6= 0. Now if we perform the identical steps on the system Ax = b we find an equivalent
set of equations of the form
  x  c 
u11 u12 u13 . . . u1n 1 1
 0 u22 u23 . . . u2n   x 2
  c2 
Ux =   .  =.
 
 ..   .. 
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
0 0 0 . . . unn xn cn

1
2

Where the ck are the result of applying the same operations on the bk . This is a summary of Gauss
elimination. The final set of equations U x = c has a unique solution and this solution is the unique
solution of Ax = b.

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