TONY JR. A.

CERVERA

Worksheet No. 2
MED 316 – Selected Topics in Linear Algebra
05 February 2022

1. Modified True or False. Give an explanation/justification for your answer.

Let A and B be 𝑛 𝑥 𝑛 matrices.
1.1 If 𝐴𝐵 = 𝐵, then B is the identity matrix.
False, because A is the correct identity matrix in the given equation. This
means that A doesn’t affect the matrix B when they’re multiplied because A is
an identity matrix.

1.2 If the coefficient matrix A of the system 𝐴𝑥 = 𝑏 is invertible, then the system
has infinitely many solutions.
False, since A is invertible then 𝐴𝑥 = 𝑏 has one solution that is 𝑥 = 𝐴−1 𝑏.

1.3 If A is invertible, then 𝐴𝐵𝐴−1 = 𝐵 .

False, because matrix multiplication is not commutative. Hence, the
above condition is only true if and only if 𝐴𝐵 = 𝐵𝐴.

1.4 If A is an idempotent nonsingular matrix, then A must be the identity

matrix.
True. Since A is an idempotent nonsingular matrix, we have
𝐴𝐴 = 𝐴 Given
𝐴(𝐴 𝐴−1 ) = 𝐴( 𝐴−1 ) by multiplying both sides by 𝐴−1
𝐴𝐼 = 𝐼 by identity property
𝐴=𝐼 by identity property ∎

1.5 If 𝑥1 = 0 , 𝑥2 = 0 , 𝑥3 = 1 is a solution to a homogeneous system of linear

equation, then the system has infinitely many solutions.
True. Since the homogeneous system of linear equation has the zero
solution and 𝑥1 = 0 , 𝑥2 = 0 , 𝑥3 = 1 is another solution, therefore, it has infinitely
many solutions.

2. Explain why row equivalence is not affected by removing columns. Is row

equivalence affected by removing rows? Prove or give a counter example.
Since we are dealing with systems of linear equations, the equations share
the same solution. Adding/subtracting or applying elementary row operations to a
matrix, which may result to deletion of columns, preserves the solution. However,
removing rows may affect row equivalence.
3. Another method for solving linear systems is to use row operations to bring the
augmented matrix to row-echelon form. In row echelon form, the pivots are not
necessarily set to one, and we only require that all entries left of the pivots are zero,
not necessarily entries above a pivot. Provide a counterexample to show that row-
echelon form is not unique.
Once a system is in row echelon form, it can be solved by “back-substitution.”
Write the following row echelon matrix as a system of equations, then solve the
2 3 1 6
system using back-substitution. [0 1 1| 2]
0 0 3 3
Solution:
2 3 1 6
[0 1 1| 2]
0 0 3 3
Writing the above row echelon matrix as a system of equations, we have
2𝑥 + 3𝑦 + 𝑧 = 6
𝑦+𝑧 =2
3𝑧 = 3
Solving backwards, we obtain
3𝑧 = 3 𝑦+𝑧 =2 2𝑥 + 3𝑦 + 𝑧 = 6
𝑧=1 𝑦+1 =2 2𝑥 + 3(1) + 1 = 6
𝑦 =2−1 2𝑥 + 4 = 6
𝑦=1 2𝑥 = 6 − 4
2𝑥 = 2
𝑥=1

1 0 3 1
4. (a) Explain why the linear system has no solutions: [0 1 2| 4] .
0 0 0 6
The above linear system has no solutions since the third row is not equivalent
to the other rows. This means that we cannot obtain a reduced row echelon form in
order to solve for the solution of the given linear system.

(b) For which values of k does the system below have a solution?
𝑥 − 3𝑦 = 6
𝑥 + 3𝑧 = −3
2𝑥 + 𝑘𝑦 + (3 − 𝑘)𝑧 = 1

Solution:
Writing the system of linear equations into matrix, we have
1 −3 0 6
[1 0 3 | −3]
2 𝑘 3−𝑘 1
 2 𝑘 3−𝑘 1
[1 −3 0 | 6] ↑ 𝑅3 → 𝑅1 , ↓ 𝑅2 → 𝑅3 , ↓ 𝑅1 → 𝑅2
1 0 3 −3
2 𝑘 3−𝑘 1
1
[1 −3 0 | 6] 𝑅 → 𝑅1
2 1
1 0 3 −3
1 3−𝑘 1
1 𝑘 2
2 2
[1 −3 0 | 6] 𝑅3 − 𝑅2 → 𝑅3
1 0 3 −3
1 3−𝑘 1
1 𝑘 2
2 2
[1 −3 0 | 6] (𝑅2 − 𝑅1 ) → 𝑅2
0 3 3 −9
1 3−𝑘 1
1 𝑘
2 2 2 2
[0 −
𝑘+6 𝑘−3| 11 ] (− ) 𝑅2 → 𝑅2
𝑘+6
2 2 2
0 3 3 −9
1 3−𝑘 1
1 𝑘
2 2 2
1
[0 𝑘−3| 11 ] 𝑅 → 𝑅3
1 − − 3 3
𝑘+6 𝑘+6
0 3 3 −9
1 3−𝑘 1
1 𝑘
2 2 2
[0 1 −
𝑘−3|
− ] 11 ↑ 𝑅3 → 𝑅2 , ↓ 𝑅2 → 𝑅3
𝑘+6 𝑘+6
0 1 1 −3
1 3−𝑘 1
1 𝑘
2 2 2
[0 1 1 | −3 ] 𝑅3 − 𝑅2 → 𝑅3
𝑘−3 11
0 1 − −
𝑘+6 𝑘+6
1 3−𝑘 1
1 𝑘 2
2 2
[0 1 1 | −3 ]
−2𝑘−3 −3𝑘−29
0 0
𝑘+6 𝑘+6

1 3−𝑘 1
𝑥 + ( 𝑘) 𝑦 + ( )𝑧 =
2 2 2

𝑦 + 𝑧 = −3 𝑦 + 𝑧 = −3
−2𝑘−3 −3𝑘−29 3𝑘+29
( )𝑧 = y = −3 −
𝑘+6 𝑘+6 2𝑘+3
−3𝑘−29 𝑘+6 −9𝑘−38
𝑧 = ( ) y=
𝑘+6 −2𝑘−3 2𝑘+3
−3𝑘−29
𝑧 =
−2𝑘−3
3𝑘+29
𝑧 =
2𝑘+3

𝑦 + 𝑧 = −3
−9𝑘 − 38 3𝑘 + 29
+ = −3
2𝑘 + 3 2𝑘 + 3

3
𝑘 ∈ ℝ, 𝑘≠−
2
5. Given any constants a, b, c where 𝑎 ≠ 0 , find all values of x such that the matrix A
1 0 𝑐
is invertible if 𝐴 = [ 01 𝑎 −𝑏] .
− 𝑥 𝑥2
2

1 0 𝑐
0 𝑎 −𝑏
𝐴 = [ 1 ]
− 𝑥 𝑥2
2
𝐴 𝐴−1 = 𝐼
1 0 𝑐 𝑟
11 𝑟12 𝑟13 1 0 0
0 𝑎 −𝑏 𝑟
[ 1 ] [ 21 𝑟22 𝑟23 ] = [0 1 0]
− 𝑥 𝑥 2 𝑟31 𝑟32 𝑟33 0 0 1
2
𝑟11 + 𝑐𝑟31 𝑟12 + 𝑐𝑟32 𝑟13 + 𝑐𝑟33
𝑎𝑟21 − 𝑏𝑟31 𝑎𝑟22 − 𝑏𝑟32 𝑎𝑟23 − 𝑏𝑟33 1 0 0
[ ] = [0 1 0]
1 1 1
− 𝑟11 + 𝑥𝑟21 + 𝑥 2 𝑟31 − 𝑟12 + 𝑥𝑟22 + 𝑥 2 𝑟32 − 𝑟13 + 𝑥𝑟23 + 𝑥 2 𝑟33 0 0 1
2 2 2

Next, we have

1
𝑟11 + 𝑐𝑟31 = 1 𝑎𝑟22 − 𝑏𝑟32 = 1 − 𝑟13 + 𝑥𝑟23 + 𝑥 2 𝑟33 = 1
2

1
𝑟12 + 𝑐𝑟32 = 0 𝑎𝑟22 − 𝑏𝑟32 = 0 − 𝑟12 + 𝑥𝑟22 + 𝑥 2 𝑟32 = 0
2
𝑏
𝑟12 = −𝑐𝑟32 𝑟22 = 𝑟32
𝑎

Then, by substitution we get

1
− 𝑟12 + 𝑥𝑟22 + 𝑥 2 𝑟32 = 0
2
1 𝑏
− (−𝑐𝑟32 ) + 𝑥 ( 𝑟32 ) + 𝑥 2 𝑟32 = 0
2 𝑎
𝑟32
1 𝑏
𝑐 + 𝑥 + 𝑥2 = 0
2 𝑎
2
𝑏 1
𝑥 + 𝑥+ 𝑐=0
𝑎 2
2
1
𝑎𝑥 + 𝑏𝑥 + 𝑎𝑐 = 0
2

Using the quadratic formula, we have

1
−𝑏 ± √𝑏 2 − 4𝑎 ( 𝑎𝑐)
2
𝑥=
2𝑎
−𝑏 ± √𝑏 2 − 2𝑎2 𝑐
𝑥=
2𝑎