ECHELON AND

REDUCED ECHELON
FORM OF A MATRIX
 ECHELON FORM OF A MATRIX

Definition: A matrix is in row echelon form if:

1. All nonzero rows are above any rows of all zeros.
2. Each leading entry of a row is in a column to the right of the
leading entry of the row above it.
3. All entries in a column below a leading entry are zeros.

Our Goal in this Concept:

For Example

[ ] [ ]
1 ∗∗
0 1∗ ¿ ∗
∗ ¿
𝟏 𝟏𝟐 𝟐 𝟎
𝟎 𝟎𝟏 𝟎 𝟏
0 01 ¿ ∗ ¿
𝟎 𝟎𝟎 𝟏 𝟑
 EXAMPLES of ECHELON FORM

¿
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
4 ×5
[ 0
0
0
¿
¿
0
0
]
0
4 ×3

¿ 0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0 0
4 ×5
 Row Swapping
Row Operations Scalar Multiplication
Row Addition
EXAMPLE

[ ] [ ]
5 4
0 1
Swap first row with third 0 0
0 0
5 4 0 1

[ ]
4

[ ]
5 4 1
5
0 0 Multiply the first row by 1/5 0 0
0 1 0 1

[ ] [ ]
4 4
1 1
5 Swap the 2nd and 3rd row 5
0 0 0 1
0 1 0 0
REDUCED ECHELON FORM OF A MATRIX
Definition: A matrix is in row echelon form if:
1. All nonzero rows are above any rows of all zeros.
2. Each leading entry of a row is in a column to the right of the
leading entry of the row above it.
3. All entries in a column below a leading entry are zeros.
4. The leading entry in each nonzero row is 1.
5. Each leading 1 is the only nonzero entry in its column.

Our Goal in this Concept:

[ ¿
]
100 ∗
0 10 ∗
0¿01∗
 Row Swapping
Row Operations Scalar Multiplication
Row Addition
EXAMPLE

[ 4
9
0
2
8
3 ] Multiply the 1 row by 1/4
st
[ 1
9
0
2
2
3 ]

[ 1
9
0
2
2
4 ] Add -9 times the 1 row to
st
[ 1 0 2
0 2 −14 ]
2nd row

[ 1
0
0
2
2
− 14 ] Multiply the 2nd row by 1/2 [ 1
0
0
1
2
−7 ]
Classify the following matrices as to whether they are in row echelon form, reduced
echelon form , or neither.

[ ]
0 1 0 8
0 0 1 −1 Row Echelon Form
0 0 0 1

[ ]
1 7 5 7 0
0 0 1 −2 −5 Row Echelon Form
0 0 0 0 −1

[ ]
1 0 0
0 1 1 Reduced Row Echelon Form
0 0 0
0 0 0

[ ]
1 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 Neither Form
0 1 0 0
 Important Terms
A pivot position is a location of a leading 1 in the reduced echelon form.
A pivot column is a column containing a pivot position.
A pivot is a nonzero number in a pivot position.
A basic variable is one associated with a pivot column otherwise, it is
called a free variable.

Pivot

Pivot

Free

Pivot
EXAMPLE

[ ]
1 0 0 0
0 1 −2 0
0 0 0 1
0 0 0 0
Pivot column
Pivot column
Pivot column