Elementary linear algebra 9e howard anton rorres

Although we have considered only two equations with two unknowns here, we will show later that the same three possibilities hold for arbitrary linear systems: Every system of linear equa

P R E F A C E

This textbook is an expanded version of Elementary Linear Algebra, Ninth Edition, by Howard Anton The first ten chapters of

this book are identical to the first ten chapters of that text; the eleventh chapter consists of 21 applications of linear algebra drawn from business, economics, engineering, physics, computer science, approximation theory, ecology, sociology,

demography, and genetics The applications are, with one exception, independent of one another and each comes with a list of mathematical prerequisites Thus, each instructor has the flexibility to choose those applications that are suitable for his or her students and to incorporate each application anywhere in the course after the mathematical prerequisites have been satisfied

This edition of Elementary Linear Algebra, like those that have preceded it, gives an elementary treatment of linear algebra that

is suitable for students in their freshman or sophomore year The aim is to present the fundamentals of linear algebra in the clearest possibleway; pedagogy is the main consideration Calculus is not a prerequisite, but there are clearly labeled exercises and examples for students who have studied calculus Those exercises can be omitted without loss of continuity Technology is also not required, but for those who would like to use MATLAB, Maple, Mathematica, or calculators with linear algebra

capabilities, exercises have been included at the ends of the chapters that allow for further exploration of that chapter's

contents

SUMMARY OF CHANGES

IN THIS EDITION

This edition contains organizational changes and additional material suggested by users of the text Most of the text is

unchanged The entire text has been reviewed for accuracy, typographical errors, and areas where the exposition could be improved or additional examples are needed The following changes have been made:

Section 6.5 has been split into two sections: Section 6.5 Change of Basis and Section 6.6 Orthogonal Matrices This allows for sharper focus on each topic

A new Section 4.4 Spaces of Polynomials has been added to further smooth the transition to general linear

transformations, and a new Section 8.6 Isomorphisms has been added to provide explicit coverage of this topic

Chapter 2 has been reorganized by switching Section 2.1 with Section 2.4 The cofactor expansion approach to

determinants is now covered first and the combinatorial approach is now at the end of the chapter

Additional exercises, including Discussion and Discovery, Supplementary, and Technology exercises, have been added throughout the text

In response to instructors' requests, the number of exercises that have answers in the back of the book has been reduced considerably

The page design has been modified to enhance the readability of the text

A new section on the earliest applications of linear algebra has been added to Chapter 11 This section shows how linear equations were used to solve practical problems in ancient Egypt, Babylonia, Greece, China, and India

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Hallmark Features

Relationships Between Concepts One of the important goals of a course in linear algebra is to establish the intricate

thread of relationships between systems of linear equations, matrices, determinants, vectors, linear transformations, and eigenvalues That thread of relationships is developed through the following crescendo of theorems that link each new idea with ideas that preceded it: 1.5.3, 1.6.4, 2.3.6, 4.3.4, 5.6.9, 6.2.7, 6.4.5, 7.1.5 These theorems bring a coherence to the linear algebra landscape and also serve as a constant source of review

Smooth Transition to Abstraction The transition from to general vector spaces is often difficult for students To smooth out that transition, the underlying geometry of is emphasized and key ideas are developed in before

proceeding to general vector spaces

Early Exposure to Linear Transformations and Eigenvalues To ensure that the material on linear transformations

and eigenvalues does not get lost at the end of the course, some of the basic concepts relating to those topics are

developed early in the text and then reviewed and expanded on when the topic is treated in more depth later in the text For example, characteristic equations are discussed briefly in the chapter on determinants, and linear transformations from

to are discussed immediately after is introduced, then reviewed later in the context of general linear

transformations

About the Exercises

Each section exercise set begins with routine drill problems, progresses to problems with more substance, and concludes with

theoretical problems In most sections, the main part of the exercise set is followed by the Discussion and Discovery problems

described above Most chapters end with a set of supplementary exercises that tend to be more challenging and force the

student to draw on ideas from the entire chapter rather than a specific section The technology exercises follow the

supplementary exercises and are classified according to the section in which we suggest that they be assigned Data for these exercises in MATLAB, Maple, and Mathematica formats can be downloaded from www.wiley.com/college/anton

About Chapter 11

This chapter consists of 21 applications of linear algebra With one clearly marked exception, each application is in its own independent section, so that sections can be deleted or permuted freely to fit individual needs and interests Each topic begins with a list of linear algebra prerequisites so that a reader can tell in advance if he or she has sufficient background to read the section

Because the topics vary considerably in difficulty, we have included a subjective rating of each topic—easy, moderate, moredifficult (See “A Guide for the Instructor” following this preface.) Our evaluation is based more on the intrinsic difficulty ofthe material rather than the number of prerequisites; thus, a topic requiring fewer mathematical prerequisites may be ratedharder than one requiring more prerequisites

Because our primary objective is to present applications of linear algebra, proofs are often omitted We assume that the reader has met the linear algebra prerequisites and whenever results from other fields are needed, they are stated precisely (with motivation where possible), but usually without proof

Since there is more material in this book than can be covered in a one-semester or one-quarter course, the instructor will have

to make a selection of topics Help in making this selection is provided in the Guide for the Instructor below

Supplementary Materials for Students

Student Solutions Manual, Ninth Edition—This supplement provides detailed solutions to most theoretical exercises and to at

least one nonroutine exercise of every type (ISBN 0-471-43329-2)

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Data for Technology Exercises is provided in MATLAB , Maple, and Mathematica formats This data can be downloaded from

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Linear Algebra Solutions—Powered by JustAsk! invites you to be a part of the solution as it walks you step-by-step through a

total of over 150 problems that correlate to chapter materials to help you master key ideas The powerful online

problem-solving tool provides you with more than just the answers

Supplementary Materials for Instructors

Instructor's Solutions Manual—This new supplement provides solutions to all exercises in the text (ISBN 0-471-44798-6)

Test Bank—This includes approximately 50 free-form questions, five essay questions for each chapter, and a sample

cumulative final examination (ISBN 0-471-44797-8)

eGrade—eGrade is an online assessment system that contains a large bank of skill-building problems, homework problems,

and solutions Instructors can automate the process of assigning, delivering, grading, and routing all kinds of homework,

quizzes, and tests while providing students with immediate scoring and feedback on their work Wiley eGrade “does the

math”… and much more For more information, visit http://www.wiley.com/college/egrade or contact your Wiley

Long Template Short Template

Chapter 1 7 lectures 6 lectures

Chapter 2 4 lectures 3 lectures

Chapter 4 4 lectures 4 lectures

Chapter 5 7 lectures 6 lectures

Chapter 6 6 lectures 3 lectures

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Long Template Short Template

Chapter 7 4 lectures 3 lectures

Chapter 8 6 lectures 2 lectures

Total 38 lectures 27 lectures

Variations in the Standard Course

Many variations in the long template are possible For example, one might create an alternative long template by following the time allocations in the short template and devoting the remaining 11 lectures to some of the topics in Chapters 9, 10 and 11

An Applications-Oriented Course

Once the necessary core material is covered, the instructor can choose applications from Chapter 9 or Chapter 11 The

following table classifies each of the 21 sections in Chapter 11 according to difficulty:

Easy The average student who has met the stated prerequisites should be able to read the material with no help from the

instructor

Moderate The average student who has met the stated prerequisites may require a little help from the instructor.

More Difficult The average student who has met the stated prerequisites will probably need help from the instructor.

A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S

We express our appreciation for the helpful guidance provided by the following people:

REVIEWERS AND

CONTRIBUTORS

Marie Aratari, Oakland Community College

Nancy Childress, Arizona State University

Nancy Clarke, Acadia University

Aimee Ellington, Virginia Commonwealth University

William Greenberg, Virginia Tech

Molly Gregas, Finger Lakes Community College

Conrad Hewitt, St Jerome's University

Sasho Kalajdzievski, University of Manitoba

Gregory Lewis, University of Ontario Institute of Technology

Sharon O'Donnell, Chicago State University

Mazi Shirvani, University of Alberta

Roxana Smarandache, San Diego State University

Edward Smerek, Hiram College

Earl Taft, Rutgers University

AngelaWalters, Capitol College

Mathematical Advisors

Special thanks are due to two very talented mathematicians who read the manuscript in detail for technical accuracy and

provided excellent advice on numerous pedagogical and mathematical matters

Philip Riley, James Madison University

Laura Taalman, James Madison University

Special Contributions

The talents and dedication of many individuals are required to produce a book such as the one you now hold in your hands The following people deserve special mention:

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Jeffery J Leader–for his outstanding work overseeing the implementation of numerous recommendations and improvements

in this edition

Chris Black, Ralph P Grimaldi, and Marie Vanisko–for evaluating the exercise sets and making helpful recommendations Laurie Rosatone–for the consistent and enthusiastic support and direction she has provided this project.

Jennifer Battista–for the innumerable things she has done to make this edition a reality.

Anne Scanlan-Rohrer–for her essential role in overseeing day-to-day details of the editing stage of this project.

Kelly Boyle and Stacy French–for their assistance in obtaining pre-revision reviews.

Ken Santor–for his attention to detail and his superb job in managing this project.

Techsetters, Inc.–for once again providing beautiful typesetting and careful attention to detail.

Dawn Stanley–for a beautiful design and cover.

The Wiley Production Staff–with special thanks to Lucille Buonocore, Maddy Lesure, Sigmund Malinowski, and Ann Berlin

for their efforts behind the scenes and for their support on many books over the years

HOWARD ANTON

CHRIS RORRES

Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Inc All rights reserved.

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C H A P T E R

1

Systems of Linear Equations and Matrices

IN T R O D U C T I O N : Information in science and mathematics is often organized into rows and columns to form rectangular arrays, called “matrices” (plural of “matrix”) Matrices are often tables of numerical data that arise from physical observations, but they also occur in various mathematical contexts For example, we shall see in this chapter that to solve a system of equations such as

all of the information required for the solution is embodied in the matrix

and that the solution can be obtained by performing appropriate operations on this matrix This is particularly important in

developing computer programs to solve systems of linear equations because computers are well suited for manipulating arrays of numerical information However, matrices are not simply a notational tool for solving systems of equations; they can be viewed as mathematical objects in their own right, and there is a rich and important theory associated with them that has a wide variety of applications In this chapter we will begin the study of matrices

Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Inc All rights reserved.

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Any straight line in the -plane can be represented algebraically by an equation of the form

where , , and b are real constants and and are not both zero An equation of this form is called a linear equation in the

variables x and y More generally, we define a linear equation in the n variables , , …, to be one that can be expressed in theform

where , , …, , and b are real constants The variables in a linear equation are sometimes called unknowns.

EXAMPLE 1 Linear Equations

The equations

are linear Observe that a linear equation does not involve any products or roots of variables All variables occur only to the first power and do not appear as arguments for trigonometric, logarithmic, or exponential functions The equations

are not linear.

A solution of a linear equation is a sequence of n numbers , , …, such that the equation is

satisfied when we substitute , , …, The set of all solutions of the equation is called its solution set or

sometimes the general solution of the equation.

EXAMPLE 2 Finding a Solution Set

Find the solution set of (a) , and (b)

Solution (a)

To find solutions of (a), we can assign an arbitrary value to x and solve for y, or choose an arbitrary value for y and solve for x If

we follow the first approach and assign x an arbitrary value t, we obtain

These formulas describe the solution set in terms of an arbitrary number t, called a parameter Particular numerical solutions can be

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obtained by substituting specific values for t For example, yields the solution , ; and yields the solution

,

If we follow the second approach and assign y the arbitrary value t, we obtain

Although these formulas are different from those obtained above, they yield the same solution set as t varies over all possible real

numbers For example, the previous formulas gave the solution , when , whereas the formulas immediately above yield that solution when

Solution (b)

To find the solution set of (b), we can assign arbitrary values to any two variables and solve for the third variable In particular, if

we assign arbitrary values s and t to and , respectively, and solve for , we obtain

Linear Systems

A finite set of linear equations in the variables , , …, is called a system of linear equations or a linear system A sequence

of numbers , , …, is called a solution of the system if , , …, is a solution of every equation in the system For example, the system

has the solution , , since these values satisfy both equations However, , , is not a

solution since these values satisfy only the first equation in the system

Not all systems of linear equations have solutions For example, if we multiply the second equation of the system

by , it becomes evident that there are no solutions since the resulting equivalent system

has contradictory equations

A system of equations that has no solutions is said to be inconsistent; if there is at least one solution of the system, it is called

consistent To illustrate the possibilities that can occur in solving systems of linear equations, consider a general system of two

linear equations in the unknowns x and y:

The graphs of these equations are lines; call them and Since a point (x, y) lies on a line if and only if the numbers x and y

satisfy the equation of the line, the solutions of the system of equations correspond to points of intersection of and There are three possibilities, illustrated in Figure 1.1.1:

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Figure 1.1.1

The lines and may be parallel, in which case there is no intersection and consequently no solution to the system

The lines and may intersect at only one point, in which case the system has exactly one solution

The lines and may coincide, in which case there are infinitely many points of intersection and consequently infinitely

many solutions to the system

Although we have considered only two equations with two unknowns here, we will show later that the same three possibilities hold for arbitrary linear systems:

Every system of linear equations has no solutions, or has exactly one solution, or has infinitely many solutions.

An arbitrary system of m linear equations in n unknowns can be written as

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where , , …, are the unknowns and the subscripted a's and b's denote constants For example, a general system of three

linear equations in four unknowns can be written as

The double subscripting on the coefficients of the unknowns is a useful device that is used to specify the location of the coefficient

in the system The first subscript on the coefficient indicates the equation in which the coefficient occurs, and the second subscript indicates which unknown it multiplies Thus, is in the first equation and multiplies unknown

Augmented Matrices

If we mentally keep track of the location of the +'s, the x's, and the ='s, a system of m linear equations in n unknowns can be

abbreviated by writing only the rectangular array of numbers:

This is called the augmented matrix for the system (The term matrix is used in mathematics to denote a rectangular array of

numbers Matrices arise in many contexts, which we will consider in more detail in later sections.) For example, the augmented matrix for the system of equations

is

Remark When constructing an augmented matrix, we must write the unknowns in the same order in each equation, and the

constants must be on the right

The basic method for solving a system of linear equations is to replace the given system by a new system that has the same solution set but is easier to solve This new system is generally obtained in a series of steps by applying the following three types of

operations to eliminate unknowns systematically:

1 Multiply an equation through by a nonzero constant

2 Interchange two equations

3 Add a multiple of one equation to another

Since the rows (horizontal lines) of an augmented matrix correspond to the equations in the associated system, these three

operations correspond to the following operations on the rows of the augmented matrix:

1 Multiply a row through by a nonzero constant

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2 Interchange two rows.

3 Add a multiple of one row to another row

Elementary Row Operations

These are called elementary row operations The following example illustrates how these operations can be used to solve systems

of linear equations Since a systematic procedure for finding solutions will be derived in the next section, it is not necessary to worry about how the steps in this example were selected The main effort at this time should be devoted to understanding the computations and the discussion

EXAMPLE 3 Using Elementary Row Operations

In the left column below we solve a system of linear equations by operating on the equations in the system, and in the right column

we solve the same system by operating on the rows of the augmented matrix

Add −2 times the first equation to the second to obtain Add −2 times the first row to the second to obtain

Add −3 times the first equation to the third to obtain Add −3 times the first row to the third to obtain

Multiply the second equation by to obtain Multiply the second row by to obtain

Add −3 times the second equation to the third to obtain Add −3 times the second row to the third to obtain

Multiply the third equation by − 2 to obtain Multiply the third row by −2 to obtain

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Add −1 times the second equation to the first to obtain Add −1 times the second row to the first to obtain

Add times the third equation to the first and times the

third equation to the second to obtain

Add times the third row to the first and times the third row to the second to obtain

The solution , , is now evident

(a) Find a linear equation in the variables x and y that has the general solution ,

(b) Show that , is also the general solution of the equation in part (a)

7

The curve shown in the accompanying figure passes through the points , , and Show

that the coefficients a, b, and c are a solution of the system of linear equations whose augmented matrix is

Figure Ex-7

8

Consider the system of equations

Show that for this system to be consistent, the constants a, b, and c must satisfy

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For which value(s) of the constant k does the system

have no solutions? Exactly one solution? Infinitely many solutions? Explain your reasoning

12

Consider the system of equations

Indicate what we can say about the relative positions of the lines , , and

when

(a) the system has no solutions

(b) the system has exactly one solution

(c) the system has infinitely many solutions

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GAUSSIAN ELIMINATION

In this section we shall develop a systematic procedure for solving systems of linear equations The procedure is based on the idea of reducing the augmented matrix of a system to another augmented matrix that is simple enough that the solution of the system can be found by inspection.

Echelon Forms

In Example 3 of the last section, we solved a linear system in the unknowns x, y, and z by reducing the augmented matrix to the

form

from which the solution , , became evident This is an example of a matrix that is in reduced row-echelon form To

be of this form, a matrix must have the following 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

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.)

EXAMPLE 1 Row-Echelon and Reduced Row-Echelon Form

The following matrices are in reduced row-echelon form

The following matrices are in row-echelon form

We leave it for you to confirm that each of the matrices in this example satisfies all of the requirements for its stated form

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EXAMPLE 2 More on Row-Echelon and Reduced Row-Echelon Form

As the last example illustrates, a matrix in row-echelon form has zeros below each leading 1, whereas a matrix in reduced

row-echelon form has zeros below and above each leading 1 Thus, with any real numbers substituted for the *'s, all matrices of the

following types are in row-echelon form:

Moreover, all matrices of the following types are in reduced row-echelon form:

If, by a sequence of elementary row operations, the augmented matrix for a system of linear equations is put in reduced row-echelonform, then the solution set of the system will be evident by inspection or after a few simple steps The next example illustrates this situation

EXAMPLE 3 Solutions of Four Linear Systems

Suppose that the augmented matrix for a system of linear equations has been reduced by row operations to the given reduced row-echelon form Solve the system

(a)

(b)

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The corresponding system of equations is

Since , , and correspond to leading 1's in the augmented matrix, we call them leading variables or pivots The nonleading

variables (in this case ) are called free variables Solving for the leading variables in terms of the free variable gives

From this form of the equations we see that the free variable can be assigned an arbitrary value, say t, which then determines the

values of the leading variables , , and Thus there are infinitely many solutions, and the general solution is given by the formulas

Since can be assigned an arbitrary value, t, and can be assigned an arbitrary value, s, there are infinitely many solutions The

general solution is given by the formulas

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Solution (d)

The last equation in the corresponding system of equations is

Since this equation cannot be satisfied, there is no solution to the system

Elimination Methods

We have just seen how easy it is to solve a system of linear equations once its augmented matrix is in reduced row-echelon form

Now we shall give a step-by-step elimination procedure that can be used to reduce any matrix to reduced row-echelon form As we

state each step in the procedure, we shall illustrate the idea by reducing the following matrix to reduced row-echelon form

Step 1 Locate the leftmost column that does not consist entirely of zeros

Step 2 Interchange the top row with another row, if necessary, to bring a nonzero entry to the top of the column found in Step 1

Step 3 If the entry that is now at the top of the column found in Step 1 is a, multiply the first row by 1/a in order to introduce a

leading 1

Step 4 Add suitable multiples of the top row to the rows below so that all entries below the leading 1 become zeros

Step 5 Now cover the top row in the matrix and begin again with Step 1 applied to the submatrix that remains Continue in this

way until the entire matrix is in row-echelon form.

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The entire matrix is now in row-echelon form To find the reduced row-echelon form we need the following additional step.

Step 6 Beginning with the last nonzero row and working upward, add suitable multiples of each row to the rows above to introduce

zeros above the leading 1's

The last matrix is in reduced row-echelon form

If we use only the first five steps, the above procedure produces a row-echelon form and is called Gaussian elimination Carrying the procedure through to the sixth step and producing a matrix in reduced row-echelon form is called Gauss–Jordan elimination.

Remark It can be shown that every matrix has a unique reduced row-echelon form; that is, one will arrive at the same reduced

row-echelon form for a given matrix no matter how the row operations are varied (A proof of this result can be found in the article

“The Reduced Row Echelon Form of a Matrix Is Unique: A Simple Proof,” by ThomasYuster, Mathematics Magazine, Vol 57, No.

2, 1984, pp 93–94.) In contrast, a row-echelon form of a given matrix is not unique: different sequences of row operations can

produce different row-echelon forms

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Karl Friedrich Gauss

Karl Friedrich Gauss (1777–1855) was a German mathematician and scientist Sometimes called the “prince of

mathematicians,” Gauss ranks with Isaac Newton and Archimedes as one of the three greatest mathematicians who ever lived Inthe entire history of mathematics there may never have been a child so precocious as Gauss—by his own account he worked outthe rudiments of arithmetic before he could talk One day, before he was even three years old, his genius became apparent to hisparents in a very dramatic way His father was preparing the weekly payroll for the laborers under his charge while the boywatched quietly from a corner At the end of the long and tedious calculation, Gauss informed his father that there was an error

in the result and stated the answer, which he had worked out in his head To the astonishment of his parents, a check of thecomputations showed Gauss to be correct!

In his doctoral dissertation Gauss gave the first complete proof of the fundamental theorem of algebra, which states that every polynomial equation has as many solutions as its degree At age 19 he solved a problem that baffled Euclid, inscribing a regular polygon of seventeen sides in a circle using straightedge and compass; and in 1801, at age 24, he published his first masterpiece,

Disquisitiones Arithmeticae, considered by many to be one of the most brilliant achievements in mathematics In that paper

Gauss systematized the study of number theory (properties of the integers) and formulated the basic concepts that form thefoundation of the subject Among his myriad achievements, Gauss discovered the Gaussian or “bell-shaped” curve that is

fundamental in probability, gave the first geometric interpretation of complex numbers and established their fundamental role inmathematics, developed methods of characterizing surfaces intrinsically by means of the curves that they contain, developed thetheory of conformal (angle-preserving) maps, and discovered non-Euclidean geometry 30 years before the ideas were published

by others In physics he made major contributions to the theory of lenses and capillary action, and with Wilhelm Weber he didfundamental work in electromagnetism Gauss invented the heliotrope, bifilar magnetometer, and an electrotelegraph

Gauss, who was deeply religious and aristocratic in demeanor, mastered foreign languages with ease, read extensively, and enjoyed mineralogy and botany as hobbies He disliked teaching and was usually cool and discouraging to other mathematicians, possibly because he had already anticipated their work It has been said that if Gauss had published all of his discoveries, the current state of mathematics would be advanced by 50 years He was without a doubt the greatest mathematician of the modern era

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Wilhelm Jordan

Wilhelm Jordan (1842–1899) was a German engineer who specialized in geodesy His contribution to solving linear systems

appeared in his popular book, Handbuch der Vermessungskunde (Handbook of Geodesy), in 1888.

EXAMPLE 4 Gauss–Jordan Elimination

Solve by Gauss–Jordan elimination

Solution

The augmented matrix for the system is

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

Adding −3 times the third row to the second row and then adding 2 times the second row of the resulting matrix to the first rowyields the reduced row-echelon form

The corresponding system of equations is

(We have discarded the last equation, , since it will be satisfied automatically by the solutions of the remaining equations.) Solving for the leading variables, we obtain

If we assign the free variables , , and arbitrary values r, s, and t, respectively, the general solution is given by the formulas

Back-Substitution

It is sometimes preferable to solve a system of linear equations by using Gaussian elimination to bring the augmented matrix into row-echelon form without continuing all the way to the reduced row-echelon form When this is done, the corresponding system of

equations can be solved by a technique called back-substitution The next example illustrates the idea.

EXAMPLE 5 Example 4 Solved by Back-Substitution

From the computations in Example 4, a row-echelon form of the augmented matrix is

To solve the corresponding system of equations

we proceed as follows:

Step 1 Solve the equations for the leading variables

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Step 2 Beginning with the bottom equation and working upward, successively substitute each equation into all the equations above

it

Substituting into the second equation yields

Substituting into the first equation yields

Step 3 Assign arbitrary values to the free variables, if any

If we assign , , and the arbitrary values r, s, and t, respectively, the general solution is given by the formulas

This agrees with the solution obtained in Example 4

Remark The arbitrary values that are assigned to the free variables are often called parameters Although we shall generally use

the letters r, s, t, … for the parameters, any letters that do not conflict with the variable names may be used.

EXAMPLE 6 Gaussian Elimination

Solve

by Gaussian elimination and back-substitution

Solution

This is the system in Example 3 of Section 1.1 In that example we converted the augmented matrix

to the row-echelon form

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The system corresponding to this matrix is

Solving for the leading variables yields

Substituting the bottom equation into those above yields

and substituting the second equation into the top yields , , This agrees with the result found by Gauss–Jordanelimination in Example 3 of Section 1.1

Homogeneous Linear Systems

A system of linear equations is said to be homogeneous if the constant terms are all zero; that is, the system has the form

Every homogeneous system of linear equations is consistent, since all such systems have , , …, as a solution

This solution is called the trivial solution; if there are other solutions, they are called nontrivial solutions.

Because a homogeneous linear system always has the trivial solution, there are only two possibilities for its solutions:

The system has only the trivial solution

The system has infinitely many solutions in addition to the trivial solution

In the special case of a homogeneous linear system of two equations in two unknowns, say

the graphs of the equations are lines through the origin, and the trivial solution corresponds to the point of intersection at the origin (Figure 1.2.1)

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Figure 1.2.1

There is one case in which a homogeneous system is assured of having nontrivial solutions—namely, whenever the system involvesmore unknowns than equations To see why, consider the following example of four equations in five unknowns

EXAMPLE 7 Gauss–Jordan Elimination

Solve the following homogeneous system of linear equations by using Gauss–Jordan elimination

(1)

Solution

The augmented matrix for the system is

Reducing this matrix to reduced row-echelon form, we obtain

The corresponding system of equations is www.pdfgrip.com

(2)

Solving for the leading variables yields

Thus, the general solution is

Note that the trivial solution is obtained when

Example 7 illustrates two important points about solving homogeneous systems of linear equations First, none of the three

elementary row operations alters the final column of zeros in the augmented matrix, so the system of equations corresponding to thereduced row-echelon form of the augmented matrix must also be a homogeneous system [see system 2] Second, depending on whether the reduced row-echelon form of the augmented matrix has any zero rows, the number of equations in the reduced system

is the same as or less than the number of equations in the original system [compare systems 1 and 2] Thus, if the given

homogeneous system has m equations in n unknowns with , and if there are r nonzero rows in the reduced row-echelon form

of the augmented matrix, we will have It follows that the system of equations corresponding to the reduced row-echelon form

of the augmented matrix will have the form

A homogeneous system of linear equations with more unknowns than equations has infinitely many solutions.

Remark Note that Theorem 1.2.1 applies only to homogeneous systems A nonhomogeneous system with more unknowns thanequations need not be consistent (Exercise 28); however, if the system is consistent, it will have infinitely many solutions This will

be proved later

Computer Solution of Linear Systems

In applications it is not uncommon to encounter large linear systems that must be solved by computer Most computer algorithmsfor solving such systems are based on Gaussian elimination or Gauss–Jordan elimination, but the basic procedures are often

modified to deal with such issues as

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Reducing roundoff errors

Minimizing the use of computer memory space

Solving the system with maximum speed

Some of these matters will be considered in Chapter 9 For hand computations, fractions are an annoyance that often cannot beavoided However, in some cases it is possible to avoid them by varying the elementary row operations in the right way Thus, oncethe methods of Gaussian elimination and Gauss–Jordan elimination have been mastered, the reader may wish to vary the steps inspecific problems to avoid fractions (see Exercise 18)

Remark Since Gauss–Jordan elimination avoids the use of back-substitution, it would seem that this method would be the moreefficient of the two methods we have considered

It can be argued that this statement is true for solving small systems by hand since Gauss–Jordan elimination actually involves lesswriting However, for large systems of equations, it has been shown that the Gauss–Jordan elimination method requires about 50%more operations than Gaussian elimination This is an important consideration when one is working on computers

For which value(s) of λ does the system of equations

have nontrivial solutions?

23

Solve the system

for , , and in the two cases ,

Figure Ex-25

Figure Ex-26

27

(a) Show that if , then the reduced row-echelon form of

(b) Use part (a) to show that the system

has exactly one solution when

Discuss the relative positions of the lines , , and when (a) the system has only the trivial solution, and (b) the system has nontrivial solutions.

(a) A linear system of three equations in five unknowns must be consistent

(b) A linear system of five equations in three unknowns cannot be consistent

(c) If a linear system of n equations in n unknowns has n leading 1's in the reduced row-echelon

form of its augmented matrix, then the system has exactly one solution

(d) If a linear system of n equations in n unknowns has two equations that are multiples of one

another, then the system is inconsistent

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Matrix Notation and Terminology

In Section 1.2 we used rectangular arrays of numbers, called augmented matrices, to abbreviate systems of linear equations

However, rectangular arrays of numbers occur in other contexts as well For example, the following rectangular array with three rows and seven columns might describe the number of hours that a student spent studying three subjects during a certain week:

Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun.

A matrix is a rectangular array of numbers The numbers in the array are called the entries in the matrix.

EXAMPLE 1 Examples of Matrices

Some examples of matrices are

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