Linear Algebra through Matrices: Lecture - 1A, 24 Mar 2021

Department of Mathematics and Statistics Indian Institute of Technology - Kanpur

Notations, Motivation and Definition

1 Notation and Definition

1. The empty set, denoted ∅, is the set that has no element.
2. N := {1, 2, . . .}, the set of Natural numbers.
3. For a fixed n ∈ N, [n] := {1, 2, . . . , n}.
4. W := {0, 1, 2, . . .}, the set of whole numbers.
5. Z := {0, 1, −1, 2, −2, . . .}, the set of Integers.
6. Q := { pq : p, q ∈ Z, q 6= 0}, the set of Rational numbers.
7. R := the set of Real numbers.
8. C := the set of Complex numbers = {a + ib : a, b ∈ R}.
√ √
9. Q[ 2] := {a + b 2 : a, b ∈ Q}.
10. F := A non-empty set where we can add, subtract, multiply and divide by a non-zero element.
√ √
Each such set is called a field in mathematics. For example, Q, R, C, Q[ 2], Q[ 3] etc.
Elements of F are called scalars.
11. By a vector or a column vector, we mean an element of Fn for some n ∈ N, written in
a column. In this course, we will only work with (column) vectors in Rn or Cn , for various
x1
 
 x2 
n ∈ N. For example, x =  .  ∈ Rn or Cn .
 
 .. 
 
xn

2 Motivation
We start with our understanding of the system of linear equations in at most 2 variables/unknowns.

Example 2.1. 1. Let a, b ∈ R and let us consider the system ax = b in the variable x.

(a) If a = 0 and
i. b = 0 then the system has infinite number of solutions, namely all x ∈ R.
ii. b 6= 0 then the system has no solution.
(b) If a 6= 0 then the system has a unique solution x = ab .
 2

2. Recall that the linear system ax+by = c for (a, b) 6= (0, 0), in the variables x and y, represents
a line in R2 . So, we consider the points of intersection of the two lines

a1 x + b1 y = c1 , a2 x + b2 y = c2 , (2.1)

where a1 , a2 , b1 , b2 , c1 , c2 ∈ R with (a1 , b1 ), (a2 , b2 ) 6= (0, 0) (see Figure 1).

❵✶
❵✶
❵✷ ❵✶ ✄☎❞ ❵✷
✝ ❵✷

◆♦ ❙♦❧ t✐♦♥ ■♥☞♥✐t✂ ◆ ♠❜✂✁ ♦❢ ❙♦❧ t✐♦♥s ❯♥✐✞ ✂ ❙♦❧ t✐♦♥✿ ■♥t✂✁s✂❝t✐♥❣ ▲✐♥✂s
P❛✐✁ ♦❢ P❛✁❛❧❧✂❧ ❧✐♥✂s ❈♦✐♥❝✐✆✂♥t ▲✐♥✂s ✟ ✿ P♦✐♥t ♦❢ ■♥t✂✁s✂❝t✐♦♥

Figure 1: Examples in 2 dimension.

(a) Unique
" # " Solution
# (a1 b2 − a2 b1 6= 0): The linear system x + y = 2 and x + 2y = 3 has
x 1
= as the unique solution.
y 1
(b) No Solution (a1 b2 − a2 b1 = 0 but a1 c2 − a2 c1 6= 0): The linear system x + y = 2 and
2x + 2y = 3 represent a pair of parallel lines which have no point of intersection.
(c) Infinite Number of Solutions (a1 b2 − a2 b1 = 0 and a1 c2 − a2 c1 = 0): The linear
system
" # "x + y #= 2 "and# 2x "
+ 2y#= 4 represent the same line. So, the solution set equals
x 2−y 2 −1
= = +y with y arbitrary. Note that the vector
y y 0 1
" #
2
i. corresponds to the solution x = 2, y = 0 of the given system.
0
" #
−1
ii. gives x = −1, y = 1 as the solution of x + y = 0, 2x + 2y = 0.
1
(d) If the linear system ax + by = c has
i. (a, b) = (0, 0) and c 6= 0 then ax + by = c has no solution.
ii. (a, b, c) = (0, 0, 0) then ax + by = c has infinite number of solutions, namely,
the whole of R2 .

Example 2.2. 1. Consider the linear system

)
2x + y = 3
(2.2)
x + 4y = 5.
 3

The two linear systems represent a pair of non-parallel lines in R2 . Note that x = 1, y = 1 is
the unique solution of the given system as (1, 1) is the point of intersection of the two given
lines 2x + y = 3 and x + 4y = 5. But, we also see that this corresponds to the solution of
) " # " # " #
2x + y = 3 2 1 3
⇔ ·x+ ·y = (2.3)
x + 4y = 5. 1 4 5
" # " # " #
3 2 1
Equation (2.3) also implies that we can write the vector as sum of the vectors and .
5 1 4
So, even though we were looking at the point of intersection of two lines, an interpretation of
the solution gives information about vectors in R2 .

Remark 2.3. So, what we see above is “each of the linear systems gives us certain ‘relationships’
between vectors which are ‘associated’ with the unknowns”. These relationships will lead to the
study of certain objects when we study “vector spaces”. They are as follows:
1. The first idea of ‘relationship’ that helps us to write a vector
" in
# terms of other vectors will
7
lead us to the study of ’linear combination’ of vectors. So, is a ‘linear combination’ of
6
" # " #
2 5
and .
2 4
2. Further, note that it also leads to the study of ‘linear span’ of a set. A positive answer leads
to the vector being an element of the ‘linearspan;
  and
 a negative
  answer to ‘NOT  an element
1  5   4  11

 
  
of the linear span’. For example, for S = 1,  6 , −7 , the vector  1 
      
 belongs to
 
−3

 2 
11  12
 
11
 
the ‘linear span’ of S, whereas,  1 

 does NOT belong to the ‘linear span’ of S.
13
Thus, one can verify that the linear system
       
1 5 4 11 x + 5y + 4z = 11
       
1x +  6 y + −7z =  1  or equivalently x + 6y − 7z = 1
       
2 11 −3 12 2x + 11y − 3z = 12

has at least one solution, whereas the linear system

       
1 5 4 11 x + 5y + 4z = 11
       
1x +  6 y + −7z =  1  or equivalently x + 6y − 7z = 1
       
2 11 −3 13 2x + 11y − 3z = 13

has NO solution.