School of Mathematics, Statistics & Physics

ENG1001 – ENGINEERING MATHEMATICS 1

MATRIX ALGEBRA - EXAMPLES

These examples demonstrate methods taught in the lectures.

   
1 2 0 4 −1 1
1. If A =  −3 4 1 , B =  2 0 3  find C = 3A − 2B T . What are c13 and c31 ?
2 −1 3 1 −2 2

       
1 2 0 3 6 0 4 2 1 8 4 2
3A = 3  −3 4 1  =  −9 12 3 2B T = 2  −1 0 −2  =  −2 0 −4 
2 −1 3 6 −3 9 1 3 2 2 6 4

     
3 6 0 8 4 2 −5 2 −2
c13 = −2
3A − 2B T =  −9 12 3  −  −2 0 −4  =  7 12 7  = C
c31 = 4
6 −3 9 2 6 4 4 −9 5

   
5 −2 01
2. Given B1 = and B2 = find matrices X, Y satisfying the equations
6 −11 23

3X + 2Y = B1 (1)
X − Y = B2 (2)

     
5 0 1 0 1 −1
2 × (2) + (1) : 5X = 2B2 + B1 = ⇒ X= , Y = X − B2 =
10 −5 2 −1 0 −4

 
2 −4
3. If A = find B such that A + B is symmetric and A − B is antisymmetric.
1 3
Comment on your answer.
     
a b 2 + a −4 + b 2 − a −4 − b
Write B = so that A + B = and A − B =
c d 1+c 3+d 1−c 3−d

A+B symmetric ⇒ −4 + b = 1 + c
b−c=5   ⇒



2−a = 0  a = 2 ⇒ b = 1 , c = −4
A − B antisymmetric ⇒ 3−d = 0 ⇒ d = 3 



−4 − b = −(1 − c) b + c = −3


 
2 1
B = = AT {in general A + AT is symmetric, A − AT is antisymmetric}
−4 3

1001EX1 1 2019-20
  
  0 −1
1 0 −2
4. If A = , B =  −2 3  then calculate C = AB and D = BA.
3 −1 4
1 0
A is (2 × 3) and B is (3 × 2). Therefore C = AB is (2 × 3
) × (3
× 2) = (2 × 2).

A B
row 1 column 1
0
!
c11 = 1 0 −2
 
−2
−→  −2 ↓  = (1 × 0) + (0 × −2) + (−2 × 1) →
1

A B
row 1 column 2
−1
!
c12 = 1 0 −2
 
−2 −1
−→  ↓ 3 = (1 × −1) + (0 × 3) + (−2 × 0) →
0
A B
row 2 column 1
0
!  
−2 −1
−→  −2 ↓  = (3 × 0) + (−1 × −2) + (4 × 1) →
c21 = 3 −1 4 6
1

A B
row 2 column 2  
−2 −1

−1
!
= (3 × −1) + (−1 × 3) + (4 × 0) →
−→  ↓ 3 6 −6
c22 = 3 −1 4 0 | {z }
C

B is (3 × 2) and A is (2 × 3). Therefore D = BA is (3 ×
2) × (
2 × 3) = (3 × 3).

B A
 row 1  column 1
d11 = 0 −1
 
  −3
 −→  1
↓ = (0 × 1) + (−1 × 3) →  
  3

B A
 row 1  column 2
d12 = 0 −1   
−3 1

 −→  0
↓ = (0 × 0) + (−1 × −1) →
−1
   

B A
 row 1  column 3
d13 = 0 −1   
−3 1 −4

 −→  −2
↓ = (0 × −2) + (−1 × 4) →  
  4

.. .. ..
. . .

B A
 row 3  column 3  
−3 1 −4
  = (1 × −2) + (0 × 4) →  7 −3 16 
−2
↓
 
 −→  4 1 0 −2
d33 = 1 0 | {z }
D

1001EX1 2 2019-20
    
8 7 −3 1 1 2
5. Verify that P =  −3 −3 1  is the inverse of Q =  −1 −2 −1 .
−2 −2 1 0 −2 3
Use this result to solve the system of equations

x + y + 2z = 6
−x − 2y − z = −3
− 2y + 3z = 8

Multiplying P and Q gives

P Q = I

The system of equations can be written Qx = b, where b = (6, −3, 8)T . Therefore
    
8 7 −3 6 3
x = Q−1 b = P b =  −3 −3 1   −3  =  −1 
−2 −2 1 8 2

   
23 41
6. Verify the general result |AB| = |A| |B| for the matrices A = ,B= .
−1 1 12
Write down the inverse A−1 of A, and use this to solve the equations

2x + 3y = 1 ,
−x + y = −3 .

    
2 3 4 1 11 8
AB = = |AB| = (11 × 1) − (8 × −3) = 35
−1 1 1 2 −3 1
  
 2 3
|A| = 
  = (2 × 1) − (3 × −1) = 5  
−1 1  


  ⇒ |A| |B| = 5 × 7 = 35 = |AB| X
 4 1 

|B| =   = (4 × 2) − (1 × 1) = 7  

1 2
   
1 1 −3 1 1 −3
A−1 = =
|A| 1 2 5 1 2
The equations can 
be written
 Ax = b, where
 b = (1, −3)T . Therefore
1 1 −3 1 2
x = A−1 b = =
5 1 2 −3 −1

1001EX1 3 2019-20
  
41
7. Given A = find the values of λ that make A − λI singular.
−2 1
     
4 1 1 0 4−λ 1
A − λI = − λ =
−2 1 0 1 −2 1 − λ

A − λI is singular when |A − λI| = 0

 
4−λ 1   
|A − λI| = 
  = (4 − λ)(1 − λ) − 1 × (−2) = λ2 − 5λ + 6 = (λ − 2)(λ − 3)
−2 1 − λ 

Therefore A − λI is singular when (λ − 2)(λ − 3) = 0, that is λ = 2 or λ = 3

8. Write the following system of equations in the form Ax = b, and solve these using
Elementary Row Operations,
2x − y + z = 6 ,
x + 2y − z = −4 ,
−x − 3y − 2z = −4 .

    
2 −1 1 x 6
 1 2 −1   y  =  −4 
−1 −3 −2 z −4

     
2 −1 1  6 2 −1 1  6 2 −1 1  6
  
 1 2 −1  −4  2r2 − r1 →  0 5 −3  −14   0 5 −3  −14 
−1 −3 −2 −4 2r3 + r1 → 0 −7 −3 −2 5r3 + 7r2 → 0 0 −36 −108
  

−108 
z = = 3 
−36





    
x 1


1

back substitution y = −14 + 3z = −1 ⇒  y  =  −1 
5 

 z 3



1


6+y−z = 1

x = 
2

 
123
9. Evaluate the determinant of A =  −1 0 1 .
138
Expanding along the first row:
     
0 1  −1 1   −1 0  note the negative sign
|A| = 1
  − 2
  + 3
 
3 8 1 8 1 3 in the second term
     
= 1 (0 × 8) − (1 × 3) − 2 (−1 × 8) − (1 × 1) + 3 (−1 × 3) − (0 × 1)

= −3 +18 −9 = 6

1001EX1 4 2019-20