MATH1350H-A: Linear Algebra 1

Lesson 1.1: Gauss’ method

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In this section:

▶ Gauss’ Method.
▶ Elementary row operations.
▶ Row echelon form.

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1.1 Gauss’ Method

▶ The final example from the previous section uses Gauss’

Method to solve the linear system.
▶ We want to be sure that Gauss’ Method is “safe”. One may
show that:
▶ It never loses solutions (any solution to the system before you
apply the method is also a solution after)
▶ It never picks up extraneous solutions (any tuple that is not a
solution before is also not a solution after).

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Gauss’ Method

Theorem (Gauss’ Method)

If a linear system is changed to another by one of these operations
1. an equation is swapped by another
2. an equation has both sides multiplied by a nonzero constant
3. an equation is replaced by the sum of itself and a multiple of
another
then the two systems have the same set of solutions.

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Gauss’ Method

Remark
▶ Multiplying a row by 0 is not allowed as it can change the
solution set. (We lose information)
▶ Adding -1 times the row to itself has the effect of multiplying
the row by 0.
▶ We are not allowed to do other operations such as multiplying
rows together, or taking square roots.
▶ It does not make sense to do these operations with columns
here.

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Gauss’ Method

Remark
▶ Care must be taken to do one step at a time (do not do
another row operation with a row you have just changed!)
▶ (∗) On a test: Row operations MUST be indicated, and
please use the following convention (or textbook convention)
▶ Put first the row being transformed, then second the row being
added/swapped
▶ Example: R2 + 4R5 means “we add four times row five to row
two”
▶ An acceptable variation of this would be R2 → R2 + 4R5 or
R2′ = R2 + 4R5
▶ Use fractions not decimals whenever possible to avoid
rounding error.

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Gauss’ Method

Definition (Elementary row operation)

The three operations from Gauss’ Method are the
elementary row operations (ERO). They are
1. swapping,
2. multiplying by a nonzero scalar (or rescaling)
3. row combination.

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Gauss’ Method

Definition (Leading variable, row echelon form)

▶ In each row of a system, the first variable with a nonzero
coefficient is the row’s leading variable. (Recall the order of
the variables)
▶ A system is in row echelon form (REF) if:
▶ each leading variable is to the right of the leading variable in
the row above it (except for the first row)
▶ any all-zero rows are at the bottom.

Example
Not in REF: REF:
x1 +4x2 −4x3 = 0 x1 +4x2 −4x3 = 0
6x3 = 12 −11x2 +7x3 = 3
−11x2 +7x3 = 3 6x3 = 12

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Example

x +y = 0
2x −y +3z = 3
x −2y −z = 3

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Example

x1 +3x2 = 1
2x1 +x2 = −3
2x1 +2x2 = −2

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Example

Contrast the system in the last example with this one.

x1 +3x2 = 1 R2 −2R1 x1 +3x2 = 1
R3 −2R1
2x1 +x2 = −3 −−−−−→ −5x2 = −5
2x1 +2x2 = 0 −4x2 = −2
Here the system is inconsistent: no pair of numbers (s1 , s2 ) ∈ R2
satisfies all three equations simultaneously. Row echelon form
makes the inconsistency obvious.
x1 +3x2 = 1
R3 −(4/5)R2
−−−−−−−→ −5x2 = −5
0 = 2

▶ Result: The solution set is empty (there is no solution to this

system)

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Exercise

▶ Put into REF and solve (homework)

x +5y +7z = 0
x +y +7z = 4
−3y +4z = 3

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Summary

▶ Learned about 3 elementary row operations used to transform

a linear system.
▶ Identified leading variables in a system, and row echelon form
(REF).
▶ Did examples of row reduction to REF then solving a system
by back substitution.

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