CHAPTER 1: MATRICES

Advanced Algebra and Trigonometry

(EDUC311) 1
Topic 5

Cramer’s Rule
Solving a System of Equations
Using Cramer’s Rule

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Solving a System of Equations Using Cramer’s Rule

Determinants can be used to solve a system of linear

equations.

Consider the system

a11x1 + a12x2 = b1
a21x1 + a22x2 = b2

To eliminate x2 from this system, we first multiply the top

equation by a22 and the bottom equation by a12.

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Solving a System of Equations Using Cramer’s Rule

Then we subtract.

We can find x2 in a similar manner. The results are given in

Cramer’s Rule for a System of Two Linear Equations.
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Solving a System of Equations Using Cramer’s Rule

Cramer’s Rule for a System of Two Linear Equations

Let a11x1 + a12x2 = b1
a21x1 + a22x2 = b2

be a system of equations for which the determinant of the

coefficient matrix is not zero. The solution of the system of
equations is the ordered pair whose coordinates are

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Solving a System of Equations Using Cramer’s Rule

Note that the denominator is the determinant of the

coefficient matrix of the variables.

The numerator of x1 is formed by replacing column 1 of the

coefficient determinant with the constants b1 and b2.

The numerator of x2 is formed by replacing column 2 of the

coefficient determinant with the constants b1 and b2.

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Example 1 – Solve a System of Equations by Using Cramer’s Rule

Solve the following system of equations using Cramer’s

Rule.
5x1 – 3x2 = 6
2x1 + 4x2 = –7

Solution:

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Example 1 – Solution cont’d

The solution is

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Solving a System of Equations Using Cramer’s Rule

Cramer’s Rule can be used to solve a system of three

linear equations in three variables. For example, consider
the system of equations

2x – 3y + z = 2
4x + 2z = –3 (1)
3x + y – 2z = 1

To solve this system of equations, we extend the concepts

behind finding the solution of a system of two linear
equations.

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Solving a System of Equations Using Cramer’s Rule

The solution of the system has the form (x, y, z), where

The determinant D is the determinant of the coefficient

matrix.

The determinants Dx, Dy, and Dz are the determinants of

the matrices formed by replacing the first, second, and third
columns, respectively, by the constants.

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Solving a System of Equations Using Cramer’s Rule

For the original system,

where

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Solving a System of Equations Using Cramer’s Rule

Thus

The solution of System (1) is

Cramer’s Rule can be extended to a system of n linear

equations in n variables.

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Solving a System of Equations Using Cramer’s Rule

Cramer’s Rule
Let

a11x1 + a12x2 + a13x3 + . . . + a1nxn = b1

a21x1 + a22x2 + a23x3 + . . . + a2nxn = b2
a31x1 + a32x2 + a33x3 + . . . + a3nxn = b3
. . . . .
. . . . .
. . . . .

an1x1 + an2x2 + an3x3 + . . . + annxn = bn

be a system of n equations in n variables.

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Solving a System of Equations Using Cramer’s Rule

The solution of the system is given by (x1, x2, x3, . . . , xn),

where

and D is the determinant of the coefficient matrix, D  0.

Di is the determinant formed by replacing the ith column of

the coefficient matrix with the column of constants
b1, b2, b3, . . . , bn.

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Solving a System of Equations Using Cramer’s Rule

Because the determinant of the coefficient matrix must be

nonzero for us to use Cramer’s Rule, this method is not
appropriate for systems of linear equations with no solution
or infinitely many solutions.

In fact, the only time a system of linear equations has a

unique solution is when the determinant of the coefficient
matrix is not zero, a fact summarized in the following
theorem.

Systems of Linear Equations with Unique Solutions

A system of n linear equations in n variables has a unique
solution if and only if the determinant of the coefficient
matrix is not zero.
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Solving a System of Equations Using Cramer’s Rule

Cramer’s Rule is also useful when we want to determine

the value of only a single variable in a system of equations.

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