ENM1600

Engineering Mathematics

Dr Trevor Langlands

School of Agricultural, Computational and Environmental Sciences

Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences

Week 5 Lecture 3
Module 2 – Matrices

ENM1600 1
Introduction
Study Book §2.5.1 pp. 60–66
James §5.5.2, 5.6, pp. 356–385 (4th )
James §5.5.2, 5.6, pp. 357–387 (5th )
This Lecture

• Gaussian Elimination

• Back-substitution

• Rank

• Under- and Over-specified equations

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Gaussian Elimination (continued)
Study Book §2.5.1, pp. 60–63
James §5.5.2,5.6, pp. 356–385 (4th ), pp. 357–387 (5th )
We can solve linear systems in matrix form.

We can use the 3 elementary row-operations to row-reduce to

triangular form:
1. Multiply any row by a constant;
2. Interchange any two rows;
3. Add or subtract one row from another;
or any combination of the above.

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Example of Gaussian Elimination with
Back-Substitution
Solve the system
x2 + x3 − 2 x 4 = −3
x1 + 2 x2 − x 3 =2
2 x 1 + 4 x2 + x3 − 3 x 4 = −2
x1 − 4 x2 − 7 x3 − x 4 = −19
The augmented matrix for this system is
 
0 1 1 −2 −3
 1
 2 −1 0 2 

 2 4 1 −3 −2 
1 −4 −7 −1 −19

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Example (cont)
The first two rows are interchanged.
 
1 2 −1 0 2
 0
 1 1 −2 −3 

 2 4 1 −3 −2 
1 −4 −7 −1 −19

Adding −2 times the first row to the third row produces a new
third row.  
1 2 −1 0 2
 0
 1 1 −2 −3 
 0 0 3 −3 −6 
1 −4 −7 −1 −19

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Example (cont)
Adding −1 times the first row to the fourth row produces a
new fourth row.
 
1 2 −1 0 2
 0
 1 1 −2 −3 

 0 0 3 −3 −6 
0 −6 −6 −1 −21

Adding 6 times the second row to the fourth row produces a

new fourth row.
 
1 2 −1 0 2
 0
 1 1 −2 −3  
 0 0 3 −3 −6 
0 0 0 −13 −39

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Example (cont)
Multiplying the third row by 1/3 produces a new third row.
 
1 2 −1 0 2
 0
 1 1 −2 −3 
 0 0 1 −1 −2 
0 0 0 −13 −39

Multiplying the fourth row by −1/13 produces a new fourth

row.  
1 2 −1 0 2
 0
 1 1 −2 −3  
 0 0 1 −1 −2 
0 0 0 1 3

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Row-Echelon form
The matrix is now in row-echelon form, and the corresponding
system of linear equations is

 
1 2 −1 0 2

 0 1 1 −2 −3 

 0 0 1 −1 −2 
0 0 0 1 3

Using back-substitution, you can now determine the solution.

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Back-Substitution
Using Back-Substitution

x1 + 2 x2 − x3 =2
x2 + x3 − 2 x4 = −3
x3 − x4 = −2
x4 = 3

The solution is then

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Rank
Study Book §2.6, pp. 63 –66
James §5.6, pp. 377–385 (4th ), pp. 378–387 (5th )

The rank of a matrix is the number of non-zero rows

that remain after elementary row operations have
been applied to reduce the matrix to echelon form.

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Echelon Form
A matrix in echelon form has the following properties:

1. All rows consisting entirely of zeros occur at the bottom of

the matrix.

2. For each row that does not consist entirely of zeros, the
first non-zero entry is 1 (called a leading 1).

3. For two successive nonzero rows, the leading 1 in the higher

row is farther to the left than the leading 1 in the lower.

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Solutions of the linear system Ax = b
where A is singular

 
1. if A and A b have different ranks then the equations are
inconsistent and no solution exists.
 
2. if A and A b have the same rank, then infinitely many
solutions exist and the general solution contains

n − rank A

free parameters.

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Example revisited
 
Find the rank of A and A b where
   
0 1 1 −2 −3 1 2 −1 0 2
 1
 2 −1 0 2 

 0
 1 1 −2 −3 

 2 4 1 −3 −2   0 0 1 −1 −2 
1 −4 −7 −1 −19 0 0 0 1 3
After row operations

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Under- and Overspecified sets of equations

• If there are more variables than equations (n > m), then

the set is underspecified.
Most often such system have infinitely many solutions.

• If the number of equations is greater than the number of

variables (m > n), then the set is overspecified.
Most often such systems do not have solutions.

     
  x   1 1   6
1 1 1  y = 6  1 2  x =  14 
1 2 3 14 y
z 1 4 36

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Example
    
1 1 1 x 3
Find the solution of  1 2 3   y  =  6 .
3 2 1 z 6

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Example (cont)

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Summary
Study Book §2.5.1 pp. 60–66
James §5.5.2, 5.6, pp. 356–385 (4th )
James §5.5.2, 5.6, pp. 357–387 (5th )
This Lecture

• Gaussian Elimination

• Back-substitution

• Rank

• Under- and Over-specified equations

ENM1600 17
Homework

Read Study Book Section 2.5,2.6

James §5.5.2,5.6, pp. 356–385 (4th Ed.)
James §5.5.2,5.6, pp. 357–388 (5th Ed.)

Week 5 Tutorial Problems 4–9.

Additional Problems listed in the study book.

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