Module 1 Lesson 3 - Echelon Form and Reduced Echelon Form

LESSON 3: ECHELON FORM AND REDUCED ECHELON FORM
In the previous lesson, we learned a method for reducing an n × n linear system to strict triangular form.
However, this method will fail if, at any stage of the reduction process, all the possible choices for a pivot
element in a given column are 0.
Row Echelon Form

A matrix is said to be in row echelon form
1. If the first nonzero entry in each nonzero row is 1.
2. If row k does not consist entirely of zeros, the number of leading zero entries in row k + 1 is greater
than the number of leading zero entries in row k.
3. If there are rows whose entries are all zero, they are below the rows having nonzero entries.
Example. Consider the system represented by the augmented matrix
If row operation III is used to eliminate the nonzero entries in the last four rows of the first column, the resulting
matrix will be
At this stage, the reduction to strict triangular form breaks down. All four possible choices for the pivot element
in the second column are 0. How do we proceed from here? Since our goal is to simplify the system as much
as possible, it seems natural to move over to the third column and eliminate the last three entries:
In the fourth column, all the choices for a pivot element are 0; so again we move on to the next column. If we
use the third row as the pivotal row, the last two entries in the fifth column are eliminated and we end up with
the matrix
The coefficient matrix that we end up with is not in strict triangular form; it is in staircase, or echelon, form. The
horizontal and vertical line segments in the array for the coefficient matrix indicate the structure of the staircase
form. Note that the vertical drop is 1 for each step, but the horizontal span for a step can be more than 1.
The equations represented by the last two rows are
0 x 1+ 0 x 2 +0 x 3 +0 x 4 +0 x 5=−4
0 x 1 +0 x 2+ 0 x 3 +0 x 4 +0 x 5=−3
Since there are no values of x1, x2, x3, x4, and x5 will satisfy the 4th and 5th equations, the system is inconsistent.
Suppose now that we change the right-hand side of the system in the last example so as to obtain a
consistent system. For example, if we start with
Then let us reduce the augmented matrix into its echelon form.
( )
1 1 1 1 1 1 eliminate the nonzero entries in the second
0 0 1 1 2 0 row of the first column.
−2 −2 0 0 3 1 R 1 + R2
0 0 1 1 3 3
1 1 2 2 4 4
( )
1 1 1 1 1 1 eliminate the nonzero entries in the third row
0 0 1 1 2 0 of the first column.
0 0 2 2 5 3 2 R1+ R 3
0 0 1 1 3 3
1 1 2 2 4 4
( )
1 1 1 1 1 1 eliminate the nonzero entries in the fifth row of
0 0 1 1 2 0 the first column.
0 0 2 2 5 3 −R1 + R5
0 0 1 1 3 3 The second row is now the pivotal row
0 0 1 1 3 3
( )
1 1 1 1 1 1 eliminate the nonzero entries in the third row
0 0 1 1 2 0 of the third column.
0 0 0 0 1 3 −2 R2+ R3
0 0 1 1 3 3
0 0 1 1 3 3
( )
1 1 1 1 1 1 eliminate the nonzero entries in the fourth row
0 0 1 1 2 0 of the third column.
0 0 0 0 1 3 −R2 + R4
0 0 0 0 1 3
0 0 1 1 3 3
( )
1 1 1 1 1 1 eliminate the nonzero entries in the fifth row of
0 0 1 1 2 0 the third column.
0 0 0 0 1 3 −R2 + R5
0 0 0 0 1 3 The third row is now the pivotal row
0 0 0 0 1 3
( )
1 1 1 1 1 1 eliminate the nonzero entries in the fourth and
0 0 1 1 2 0 fifth row of the fourth column.
0 0 0 0 1 3 −R3 + R 4
0 0 0 0 0 0 −R3 + R5
0 0 0 0 0 0
The last two equations of the reduced system will be satisfied for any 5-tuple. Thus, the solution set will be the
set of all 5-tuples satisfying the first three equations,
The variables corresponding to the first nonzero elements in each row of the reduced matrix will be referred to
as lead variables. Thus, x1, x3, and x5 are the lead variables. The remaining variables corresponding to the
columns skipped in the reduction process will be referred to as free variables. Hence, x2 and x4 are the free
variables. If we transfer the free variables over to the right-hand side in the previous system, we obtain the
system
This system is strictly triangular in the unknowns x 1, x3, and x5. Thus, for each pair of values assigned to x 2 and
x4, there will be a unique solution. For example, if x 2 = x4 = 0, then x5 = 3, x3=−6, and x1 = 4, and hence (4, 0,
−6, 0, 3) is a solution to the system.
The following matrices are in row echelon form:
The following matrices are not in row echelon form:
The first matrix does not satisfy condition (1). The second matrix fails to satisfy condition (3), and the
third matrix fails to satisfy condition (2).
The process of using row operations 1, 2, and 3 to transform a linear system into one whose
augmented matrix is in row echelon form is called Gaussian elimination.
Reduced Row Echelon Form
A matrix is in reduced echelon form if:

1. Any rows consisting entirely of zeros are grouped at the bottom of the matrix.
2. The first nonzero element of each other row is 1. This element is called a leading 1.
3. The leading 1 of each row after the first is positioned to the right of the leading 1 of the previous row.
4. All other elements in a column that contains a leading 1 are zero.
The following matrices are in reduced row echelon form.

The following matrices are not in reduced row echelon form for the reasons stated.
[ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
1 7 0 8
1 2 0 4 1 2 0 3 0 1 0 0 2
0 1 0 3
0 0 0 0 0 0 3 4 0 0 0 1 4
0 0 1 2
0 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 3
0 0 0 0
Leading 1 in row 3 not Nonzero element
Row of zeros not at First nonzero element
to the right of the above leading 1 in
bottom of matrix in row 2 is not 1
leading 1 in row 2 row 2
The process of using elementary row operations to transform a matrix into reduced row echelon form is
called Gauss–Jordan reduction.
Example. Write down the augmented matrix of the system below then derive its reduced echelon form.
Practice
Determine the augmented matrices of the following systems then express the matrices into their row echelon
form and reduced echelon form.
x1 + 4 x 2+3 x 3=1
a. 2 x1 +8 x 2 +11 x 3=7
x1 +6 x 2 +7 x 3=3
x1 + x 2 + x 3=7
b. 2 x1 +3 x 2+ x3 =18
−x 1+ x 2−3 x 3=1
x 1−x 2+ x3 =3
c. 2 x 1−x 2 + 4 x3 =7
3 x 1−5 x2 −x3 =7
References

Module 1 Lesson 3 - Echelon Form and Reduced Echelon Form

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Module 1 Lesson 3 - Echelon Form and Reduced Echelon Form

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Module 1 Lesson 3 - Echelon Form and Reduced Echelon Form

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

LESSON 3: ECHELON FORM AND REDUCED ECHELON FORM

Row Echelon Form

Example. Consider the system represented by the augmented matrix

The following matrices are in row echelon form:

The following matrices are not in row echelon form:

Reduced Row Echelon Form

A matrix is in reduced echelon form if:

The following matrices are in reduced row echelon form.

You might also like