What can we find

from RREF?
Outline
• RREF v.s. Linear Combination
• RREF v.s. Independent
• RREF v.s. Rank
• RREF v.s. Span
What can we find
from RREF?
RREF vs. Linear Combination
Column Correspondence
Theorem
RREF
𝐴= [ 𝒂𝟏 ⋯ 𝒂𝒏 ] 𝑅=[ 𝒓 𝟏 ⋯ 𝒓𝒏]

If is a linear is a linear combination of the

combination of corresponding columns of R with
other columns of A the same coefficients
a5 = a1+a4 r5 = r1+r4
is a linear combination of the If is a linear
corresponding columns of A combination of
with the same coefficients other columns of R
a3 = 3a1-2a2 r3 = 3r1-2r2
Column Correspondence
Theorem - Example

a1 a2 a3 a4 a5 a6 r1 r2 r3 r4 r5 r6

a2 = 2a1 r2 = 2r1

a5 = a1+a4 r5 = r1+r4
 Column Correspondence
Theorem – Intuitive Reason
𝑎 1 +𝑎 2= 𝑎3

[ ]
6 9 15
𝐴= 8 0 8
9 2 11
𝑑1 + 𝑑 2= 𝑑3
𝑏1 +𝑏 2=𝑏 3

[ ]
6 9 15

[ ]
9 2 11 𝐷= 8 0 8
𝐵= 8 0 8 3 −7 −4
6 9 15 𝑐 1+ 𝑐 2=𝑐 3

[ ]
12 18 30
𝐶= 8 0 8
9 2 11

Column Correspondence Theorem (Column) ：

Even if row elementary operation let column become
different, their relationship never changes.
Column Correspondence
Theorem – More Formal
Reason
• Before we start:
RREF
Augmented [ 𝐴 𝑏] [ 𝑅 𝑏′ ]
Matrix:
RREF
Coefficient Matrix: 𝐴 𝑅

[ 𝐴 𝑏] [ 𝑅 𝑏′ ]
Column Correspondence
Theorem – More Formal
Reason
• The RREF of matrix A is R
and have the same
solution set?
• The RREF of augmented matrix is
and have the same
solution set
• The RREF of matrix A is R
and have the same If , then .
solution set
 Column Correspondence
Theorem
• The RREF of matrix A is R, and have the same
solution set
a1 a2 a3 a4 a5 a6 r1 r2 r3 r4 r5 r6

[] []
a2 = 2a1 −2 −2 r2 = 2r1
𝐴 𝑥=0 1 𝑅𝑥=0 1
0 0
𝑥= 𝑥=
-2a1+a2=0 0 0 -2r1+r2=0
0 0
0 0
 Column Correspondence
Theorem
• The RREF of matrix A is R, and have the same
solution set
a1 a2 a3 a4 a5 a6 r1 r2 r3 r4 r5 r6

[] []
a5 = a1+a4 1 1 r5 = r1+r4
𝐴 𝑥=0 0 𝑅𝑥=0 0
0 0
𝑥= 𝑥=
−1 −1
a1-a4+a5=0 1 1
r1-r4+r5=0
0 0
How about Rows?
• Are there row correspondence theorem? NO

𝑻 𝑻
𝒂 𝟏 𝒓𝟏
𝑻 𝑻
𝒂𝟐 𝑻
𝒓𝟐 𝑻
𝒂𝟑 𝒓𝟑
𝑻 𝑻
𝒂𝟒 𝒓𝟒
𝑆𝑝𝑎𝑛 { 𝒂 𝟏 , 𝒂 𝟐 , 𝒂𝟑 , 𝒂𝟒 } = 𝑆𝑝𝑎𝑛 { 𝒓 𝟏 , 𝒓 𝟐 , 𝒓 𝟑 , 𝒓 𝟒 }

Are they the same?

Span of Columns

𝐴= [ 𝒂𝟏 ⋯ 𝒂𝟔 ] 𝑅=[ 𝒓 𝟏 ⋯ 𝒓𝟔]

𝑆𝑝𝑎𝑛 { 𝒂 𝟏 , ⋯ , 𝒂𝟔 } 𝑆𝑝𝑎𝑛 { 𝒓 𝟏 , ⋯ ,𝒓 𝟔 }

Are they the same?

The elementary row operations change the
span of columns.
NOTE
• Original Matrix v.s. RREF
• Columns:
• The relations between the columns are the
same.
• The span of the columns are different.
• Rows:
• The relations between the rows are changed.
• The span of the rows are the same.
What can we find
from RREF?
RREF v.s. Independent
Column Correspondence
Theorem
pivot columns Leading entries

linear linear
independent independent

The pivot columns are linear independent.

Column Correspondence
Theorem You can prove unique RREF by
these properties
pivot columns Leading entries

a2 = 2a1 r2 = 2r1
a5 = a1+a4 r5 = r1+r4
a6 = 5a13a3+2a4 r6 = 5r13r3+2r4
The non-pivot columns are the linear combination of the
previous pivot columns.
Column Correspondence
Theorem Given the pivot columns of a
matrix and its RREF, we can
pivot columns reconstruct the whole matrix.

a1 a3 a4

a2 = 2a1 r2 = 2r1
a5 = a1+a4 r5 = r1+r4
a6 = 5a13a3+2a4 r6 = 5r13r3+2r4
Independent
3X3

[ ]
The columns are ∗ ∗ ∗
independent ∗ ∗ ∗
∗ ∗ ∗
Columns are linear
Every column is a independent
pivot columns
RREF

[ ]
Every column in 1 0 0
RREF(A) is standard 0 1 0 Identity
vector. 0 0 1 matrix
Independent 4X3

[ ]
∗ ∗ ∗
∗ ∗ ∗
The columns are ∗ ∗ ∗
independent ∗ ∗ ∗

Columns are linear

independent
Every column is a
pivot columns
RREF

[ ][ ]
Every column in 1 0 0
RREF(A) is standard 0 1 0 𝐼
vector.
0
0
0
0
1
0 𝑶
Independent
3X4

[ ]
∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
The columns are
∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
independent ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
Columns are linear
Every column is a independent
pivot columns Cannot be a
RREF
pivot column

[ ]
Every column in 1 0 0 ∗
RREF(A) is standard 0 1 0 ∗
vector. 0 0 1 ∗
Independent

[ ]
∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
The columns are
∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ dependent
(squat type)

Dependent or
Independent?

More than 3 vectors in R3 must be dependent.

More than m vectors in Rm must be dependent.
What can we find
from RREF?
RREF v.s. Rank
 Pivot Leading Non-zero
Rank column Entry row

Maximum number of
Independent Columns
¿

Number of Pivot Rank = ? 3

Column
¿

Number of Non-zero
rows
Rank = ? 3
Properties of Rank from
RREF
Maximum number of
Independent Columns Rank A Number of columns
¿

Number of Pivot Rank A Min( Number of

Column columns, Number of rows)
¿

Number of Non-zero
rows Rank A Number of rows
Properties of Rank from
RREF
Matrix A is full rank
• Given a mxn matrix A:
if Rank A =
• Rank A min(m, n)
min(m,n)
• Because “the columns of A are independent” is
equivalent to “rank A = n”
• If m < n, the columns of A is dependent.

[ ] {[ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]}
∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ , ∗ , ∗ , ∗
∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

3X4 A matrix set has 4 vectors

Rank A 3 belonging to R3 is dependent
• In Rm, you cannot find more than m vectors that are
independent.
 Basic, Free Variables v.s.
Rank𝐴 𝑥=𝑏 3 useful
equations

𝐴 𝑏 RREF() 𝑏’
rank = non-zero row = 3 basic variables
No. column –
nullity = = 2 free variables
non-zero row
Rank

Rank Maximum number of Number of Pivot

Independent Columns Column

Number of Non-zero Number of Basic

rows Variables

Nullity = no. column - rank

Number of zero rows Number of Free
Equations
What can we find
from RREF?
RREF v.s. Span
Consistent or not
• Given Ax=b, if the reduced row echelon form of [ A
b ] is
Consistent
b is in the span of
the columns of A

• Given Ax=b, if the reduced row echelon form of [ A

b ] is
inconsistent
b is NOT in the span
of the columns of A
0 ∙ 𝑥1 + 0∙ 𝑥 2+ 0 ∙ 𝑥 3= 1
Consistent or not
Ax =b is inconsistent (no solution)

[ ]
The RREF of [A b] is
∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
Only the last ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
column is non-zero 0 0 0 0 0 𝑑 𝑑≠0
0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0

Rank A rank [A b] Need to know b

Consistent or not
Ax =b is consistent for every b

RREF of [A b] cannot have a row whose

only non-zero entry is at the last column

RREF of A cannot have zero row

Rank A = no. of rows

 Consistent or not [ ]
e.g. ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
3 independent columns

Ax =b is consistent
Rank A = no. of rows
for every b
Every b is in the span of the columns of
A
Every b belongs to

m independent vectors can span

More than m vectors in Rm must be dependent.
m independent vectors More than m vectors in
can span Rm must be dependent.

• Consider R2 𝒂

yes
independent
Full Rank: Rank = n & Rank
=m

[ ]
1
∗ 0
∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
• The size of A is mxn ∗
0 1
∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
⋮ ⋮ ⋮ ⋮ ⋮ ⋮
Rank A = n ⋮ ⋮ ⋮ ⋮ ⋮ ⋮
∗
0 0
∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
A is square or Tall ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
and thin 0 0

Ax = b has at most The columns of A are

one solution linearly independent.

RREF of A: [ ]
𝐼
𝑶
All columns are pivot
columns.
Full Rank: Rank = n & Rank
=m

[ ]
1
∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
• The size of A is mxn ∗
0 ∗
1 ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
⋮ ⋮ ⋮ ⋮ ⋮ ⋮
Rank A = m ⋮ ⋮ ⋮ ⋮ ⋮ ⋮
∗
0 ∗
0 ∗
0 ∗1 ∗ ∗
A is square or squat ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
0 0 0 0 1
Every row of R contains a pivot position (leading entry).
Ax = b always have solution (at least one solution) for
every b in Rm.
The columns of A generate Rm.