Elementary Row Operations

Perform the following elementary row operations.

 x  y  3z  4  1 1 3 4
 0 3 5 6 
1R

 3 y  5z  6 

2 3


 y  2z  1 0 1 2 1

 x  y  3z  4  1 1 3 4

 z3   0 0 1
R2 3R3  R2
3 

 y  2z  1 0 1 2 1

 x  y  3z  4  1 1 3 4
 0
 y  2z  1 R2 R3
   1 2 1 

 z3
MAT 125: Dr. Litan Kumar Saha
0 0 1 3  25
 Gaussian Elimination
Some system are much easier to solve:
1) Diagonal matrices
2) Triangular matrices
Gaussian Elimination transforms the problem into a
triangular system

In general, to solve a system of linear equations using its

augmented matrix, we use elementary row operations to
arrive at a matrix in a certain form.
1) Row Echelon Form and
2) Reduced Row Echelon Form

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MAT 125: Dr. Litan Kumar Saha
 ECHELON FORM
A rectangular matrix is in echelon form (or row echelon form)
if it has the following three properties:
1. If a row does not consist entirely of zeros, then the first
nonzero number in the row is a 1. We call this a leading 1.
2. If there are any rows that consist entirely of zeros, then they
are grouped together at the bottom of the matrix.
3. In any two successive rows that do not consist entirely of
zeros, the leading 1 in the lower row occurs farther to the right
than the leading 1 in the higher row.

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MAT 125: Dr. Litan Kumar Saha
 Example of matrix in Echelon Form

1 4 5 9 7  13 6 10 0 
0 1 4 6 6  00 1 4 3 
  
0 0 0 1 0 00 0 1 1
2
0   
 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0
  

 
Leading 1's shift to
the right in
successive rows.

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MAT 125: Dr. Litan Kumar Saha
 Reduced Row-Echelon Form
A matrix is in reduced row-echelon form if it is in row-
echelon form and also satisfies the following condition.

4. Each column that contains a leading 1 has zeros

everywhere else in that column.

A matrix that has the first three properties is said to be

in row echelon form. (Thus, a matrix in reduced row
echelon form is of necessity in row echelon form, but
not conversely.)

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MAT 125: Dr. Litan Kumar Saha
 Reduced Row-Echelon Form
A matrix is in reduced row-echelon form if it is in row-
echelon form and also satisfies the following condition.

4. Each column that contains a leading 1 has zeros

everywhere else in that column.

A matrix that has the first three properties is said to be

in row echelon form. (Thus, a matrix in reduced row
echelon form is of necessity in row echelon form, but
not conversely.)

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MAT 125: Dr. Litan Kumar Saha
 Example of Reduced Row-Echelon Form

é 1 0 0 1 ù  1 0 2 3 0 24 
ê ú 0 1 2 2 0 7 
ê 0 1 0 2 ú  
êë 0 0 1 0 úû 0 0 0 0 1 4 

1 3 0 0 0
0 0 1 0 3 

0 0 0 1 1
2
 
0 0 0 0 0
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MAT 125: Dr. Litan Kumar Saha
 Solving a System Using Row-Echelon Form

Solve the system of linear equations using Gaussian elimination.

 4 x  8 y  4z  4

 3 x  8 y  5z   11
  2 x  y  12z   17

We first write the augmented matrix of the system. Then, we use
elementary row operations to put it in row-echelon form.
 4 8 4 4
 3 8 5 11
 
 2 1 12 17 
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MAT 125: Dr. Litan Kumar Saha
 Solving a System Using Row-Echelon Form

 4 8 4 4  1 2 1 1
 3 8 5 11  1R
4 1
  3 8 5 11
   
 2 1 12 17   2 1 12 17 

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MAT 125: Dr. Litan Kumar Saha
 Using Reduced Row-Echelon Form

Solve the system of linear equations, using Gauss-Jordan

elimination.
 4 x  8 y  4z  4

 3 x  8 y  5z   11
  2 x  y  12z   17

We continue using elementary row operations on the last
matrix to arrive at an equivalent matrix in reduced row-
echelon form.

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MAT 125: Dr. Litan Kumar Saha
 Using Reduced Row-Echelon Form

 1 2 1 1
0 1 4 7 
 
0 0 1 2 

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MAT 125: Dr. Litan Kumar Saha
 Using Reduced Row-Echelon Form
Find the complete solution of the system.

 x  2y  3z  4w  10

 x  3 y  3z  4w  15
2 x  2y  6z  8w  10

 1 2 3 4 10   1 2 3 4 10 
 1 3 3 4 15  
R2 R1 R2
 0 1 0 0 5 
  R3  2R1 R3  
2 3 6 8 10  0 2 0 0 10 

 1 2 3 4 10   1 0 3 4 0 
R3  2R2 R3
  0 1 0 0 5  
R1  2R2 R1
 0 1 0 0 5 
0 0 0 0 0  0 0 0 0 0 
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MAT 125: Dr. Litan Kumar Saha
 Using Reduced Row-Echelon Form
So, the last matrix corresponds to the system
 x  3z  4w  0

 y 5
To obtain the complete solution, we solve for the leading variables x
and y in terms of the nonleading variables z and w, and we let z and w
be any real numbers.
Thus, the complete solution is:
x = 3s + 4t
y=5
z=s
w=t
where s and t are any real numbers.
We can also express the answer as the ordered quadruple
(3s + 4t, 5, s, t).
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MAT 125: Dr. Litan Kumar Saha
 Using Reduced Row-Echelon Form

Solve by Gauss-Jordan elimination

The augmented matrix for the system is

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MAT 125: Dr. Litan Kumar Saha
 Using Reduced Row-Echelon Form

Adding —2 times the first row to the second and fourth rows gives

Multiplying the second row by −1 and then adding −5 times the new second row to
the third row and −4 times the new second row to the fourth row gives

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MAT 125: Dr. Litan Kumar Saha
 Using Reduced Row-Echelon Form

Interchanging the third and fourth rows and then multiplying the third row of the
resulting matrix by gives the row echelon form

The corresponding system of equations is

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MAT 125: Dr. Litan Kumar Saha
 Using Reduced Row-Echelon Form

Finally, we express the general solution of the system parametrically by

assigning the free variables x2, x4, and x5 arbitrary values r, s, and t,
respectively. This yields

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MAT 125: Dr. Litan Kumar Saha
 Using Reduced Row-Echelon Form

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MAT 125: Dr. Litan Kumar Saha
 Gaussian Elimination
Solve the system of linear equations using Gaussian elimination and
Gauss-Jordan elimination.

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MAT 125: Dr. Litan Kumar Saha
 Gaussian Elimination
Consider the system

(a) Find those values of a for which the system has a unique
solution.
(b) Find those pairs of values (a; b) for which the system has
more than one solution.

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MAT 125: Dr. Litan Kumar Saha
 Gaussian Elimination
Solve the system of linear equations using Gaussian elimination and
Gauss-Jordan elimination.

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MAT 125: Dr. Litan Kumar Saha
 Gaussian Elimination
In Exercises 5–8, solve the linear system by Gaussian elimination
and Gauss-Jordan elimination.

In Exercises 17–24, solve the given homogeneous linear system

by any method

In Exercises 25–28, determine the values of a for which the

system has no solutions, exactly one solution, or infinitely many
solutions.

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MAT 125: Dr. Litan Kumar Saha