Math 280, Lecture 9, Feb 26

Section 1-5
 Row operations on a matrix A, of any size, maybe performed by multiplication from the left by a
suitable elementary matrix. Elementary matrices result, when the same row operation applies to the
identity matrix.

 Elementary matrices are invertible

Example

 0 0 1   0 0 1  1 0 0 
0 1 0   0 1 0  0 1 0 
    
1 0 0  1 0 0  0 0 1 

1 0 0   1 0 0  1 0 0 
0 k 0  0 1 
0   0 1 0 
  k
0 0 1  0 0

1  0 0 1 


1 0 0  1 0 0  1 0 0 
0 1 0  0 1 0   0 1 0 
 
 k 0 1    k 0 1  0 0 1 

Important Theorem
(b) => (c) If the reduced row echelon form for A is not the identity, then it will contain at least a
zero row. But then the system AX = O will have non zero solutions.

(c) => (d) If R is the reduced row echelon form for A, then E1 E2  Ek A  R  I .

Therefore, A  Ek1  E21 E11 , where E1 , E2 , Ek and their inverses are elementary matrices.

(d) => (a) Matrix A is invertible as a product of invertible elementary matrices.

Proof

If E1 E2  Ek A  I , then E1 E2  Ek I  A1

Example

Form  A  I  and reduce it, if possible, by row operations to  I  A1 

Example
Compute the inverse of