MATRICES

• Many times we have to encounter the situations

of solving system of linear equations in several
variables.
• For example.
• 2x + y+ 2z – 12u + v + 2w =1
• x + 2y – z + 6u + 2v – w =2
• 5x + 4y + 3z + 45u + 4v+ 3w = 4
• 3x + 20y – 2z – 6u + 8v – 4 w = 2
• 20x + y – 2z – 2u + v + 2w =7
• 2x - 3y + 20z + 5u + 4v – 5w = 19
 QUESTIONS :
• 1) Whether the solution exists or not ?
• 2) Whether there exist(s) ,
• (a) Only one solution (UNIQUE)?
• (b) More than one solutions or Infinite
solutions?
• (c) No solution? and
• (d) Can we have a simple method to obtain
the solution (s) ?
• Cramer’s Rule and Matrix Inversion could not
answer all the questions (a) (b) (c) (d).
 Rank of a matrix
• Rank of a matrix helps the methods, which Answer (a)
(b) (c) (d) in a far better way than Cramer’s Rule and
Matrix Inversion.
• Sub-matrix of a matrix A: The matrix, obtained by
deleting some rows or columns or both of a matrix A.
• Let ⎡⎢ 1 2 −3 0 ⎤⎥ , then ⎡⎢ 1 2 −3 0 ⎤⎥, ⎡ 1 2 −3⎤
−2 1 2 3 ⎥ −2 1 2 3 ⎥ ⎢ ⎥
A= ⎢ ⎢ −2 1 2
⎢ 0 2 1 −3⎥ ⎢⎣ 0 2 1 −3⎥⎦ ⎢ ⎥
⎢ ⎥ ⎢0 2 1⎥
⎣ 1 2 −6 4 ⎦ ⎢ ⎥
⎣1 2 −6⎦
⎡1 2 0⎤
⎢ ⎥ are submatrices of A obtained by deleting
⎢ − 2 1 3 ⎥ third row, third column, second column
⎢⎣ 0 2 −3⎥⎦
and fourth row, respectively.
 Rank of a matrix
• Minors of order ‘r’ of a matrix A: The determinant of
any r×r (Square) sub-matrix of m ×n matrix A.

⎡1 2 −3 0⎤
⎢ −2 1 2 −3 1 2 3
1 2 3 ⎥⎥
• Let A=⎢ , then −2 1 2 , 2 1 −3
⎢0 2 1 −3⎥
⎢ ⎥ 0 2 1 2 −3 4
⎣1 2 −3 4 ⎦

are the minors of order 3

1 2 2 −3
and ; are the minors of order 2
−2 1 1 2
 Rank of a matrix
™Definition: Rank of a matrix A is “r” if,
• i) It has at least one non-zero minor of order
“r” and
• ii) All the minors of order higher than “r” are
zeroes.
• Notation: If Rank of a matrix A is r then it is
denoted as ρ(A) = r
• As a consequence of condition (ii), every minor
of order greater than r will be zero.
• In short, we say that the rank of a matrix is the
largest order of a non-zero minor of the matrix.
 Rank of a matrix
• If A is a null matrix then ρ(A) = 0.

• If A is not a null matrix then ρ(A) ≥ 1.

• If A is a m ×n matrix, then ρ(A) ≤ min (m, n).

• If A is a square matrix of order n, then ρ(A) = n iff |A| ≠ 0.

• ρ(A) = ρ(AT) .

• If A has a non-zero minor of order ‘r’ then ρ(A) ≥r.

• If all the minors of order ‘r+1’ of A are 0, then ρ(A) ≤r.

 Example(s)
• Find the rank of each of the following
⎡1 2 3⎤
¾(a) A = ⎢⎢ 4 5 3⎥⎥
⎢⎣ 2 4 1⎥⎦

⎡ 2 3 4⎤
¾(b) B = ⎢⎢ 3 1 2 ⎥⎥
⎢⎣ −1 2 2 ⎥⎦

⎡2 3 4 ⎤
¾(c) C = ⎢⎢ 4 6 8 ⎥⎥
⎢⎣ − 6 − 9 − 12 ⎥⎦
Solution:
⎡ 1 2 3⎤
⎢ ⎥
¾ (a) The rank of the matrix A = 4 5 3 is 3.
⎢ ⎥
⎢⎣ 2 4 1⎥⎦
1 2 3
•As | A| = 4 5 3 = 1 (5 − 12) − 2 (4 − 6) + 3 (16 − 10)
2 4 1
= − 7 + 4 + 18 = 15 ≠ 0

⎡ 2 3 4⎤
= ⎢ 3 1 2⎥
¾(b) Rank of B ⎢ ⎥ is 2.
⎢⎣ −1 2 2 ⎥⎦
 Solution:
• as | B | = 0 , and there is a non-zero minor of
order 2, namely, 2 3
=−7≠0
3 1
2 3 4
¾ (c) Finally for the rank of the matrix C = 4 6 8
− 6 − 9 − 12

• We see | C | = 0 , its rank ≠ 3.

• Also every minor of order 2 of C is also zero.
• Its rank ≠ 2
• As the matrix is a non-zero matrix, so its rank is 1.
 Elementary Transformations
• The following operations w.r.t. a matrix are known as
elementary transformations.
• Interchange of any two ROWS, indicated by Rij or by
Ri ↔ Rj
• Multiplication of elements of any ROW by a non-zero
real number, indicated by Ri →kRi
• Addition of the constant multiple of jth ROW to ith ROW
indicated by Ri → Ri + kRj
• Similar COLUMN transformation are denoted by

• Cij , kCi, Ci + kCj