1 Systems of Linear Equations

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 Applications of Systems of
1.3 Linear Equations

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Objectives
 Set up and solve a system of equations to fit a
polynomial function to a set of data points.

 Set up and solve a system of equations to

represent a network.

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Applications of Systems of Linear Equations

Systems of linear equations arise in a wide variety of

applications. In this section you will look at two applications.

The first application shows how to fit a polynomial function

to a set of data points in the plane.

The second application focuses on networks and Kirchhoff’s

Laws for electricity.

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Polynomial Curve Fitting

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Polynomial Curve Fitting (1 of 2)
Consider n points in the xy-plane

(x1, y1), (x2, y2), ..., (x n, yn)

that represent a collection of data, and you want to find a

polynomial function of degree n − 1

whose graph passes through the points.

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Polynomial Curve Fitting (2 of 2)
This procedure is called polynomial curve fitting. When all
x-coordinates of the points are distinct, there is precisely
one polynomial function of degree n − 1 (or less) that fits the
n points, as shown in Figure 1.3.

Figure 1.3

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Example 1 – Polynomial Curve Fitting
Determine the polynomial whose
graph passes through the points (1, 4), (2, 0), and (3, 12).

Solution:
Substituting x = 1, 2, and 3 into p(x) and equating the
results to the respective y-values produces the system of
linear equations in the variables a0, a1, and a2 shown below.

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Example 1 – Solution (1 of 2)
The solution of this system is

a0 = 24, a1 = −28, and a2 = 8

so the polynomial function is

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Example 1 – Solution (2 of 2)
Figure 1.4 shows the graph of p.

Figure 1.4

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Example 4 – An Application of Curve Fitting

Find a polynomial that relates the periods of the three planets

that are closest to the Sun to their mean distances from the
Sun, as shown in the table. Then use the polynomial to
calculate the period of Mars, and compare it to the value
shown in the table. (The mean distances are in astronomical
units, and the periods are in years.)

Planet Mercury Venus Earth Mars

Mean Distance 0.387 0.723 1.000 1.524
Period 0.241 0.615 1.000 1.881

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Example 4 – Solution (1 of 3)
Begin by fitting a quadratic polynomial function

to the points
(0.387, 0.241), (0.723, 0.615), and (1, 1).

The system of linear equations obtained by substituting these

points into p(x) is

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Example 4 – Solution (2 of 3)
The approximate solution of the system is

a0 ≈ −0.0634, a1 ≈ 0.6119, a2 ≈ 0.4515

which means that an approximation of the polynomial

function is

Using p(x) to evaluate the period of Mars produces

p(1.524) ≈ 1.918 years.

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Example 4 – Solution (3 of 3)
Note that the period of Mars is shown in the table as 1.881
years. The figure below provides a graphical comparison of
the polynomial function to the values shown in the table.

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Network Analysis

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Network Analysis (1 of 3)
Networks composed of branches and junctions are used as
models in such fields as economics, traffic analysis, and
electrical engineering.

In a network model, you assume that the total flow into a

junction is equal to the total flow out of the junction.

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Example 5 – Analysis of a Network
Set up a system of linear equations to represent the network
shown in Figure 1.6. Then solve the system.

Figure 1.6

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Example 5 – Solution (1 of 3)
Each of the network’s five junctions gives rise to a linear
equation, as shown below.
x1 + x2 = 20 Junction 1
x3 − x4 = −20 Junction 2
x2 + x3 = 20 Junction 3
x1 −x5 = −10 Junction 4
−x4 + x5 = −10 Junction 5

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Example 5 – Solution (2 of 3)
The augmented matrix for this system is

Gauss-Jordan elimination produces the matrix

From the matrix above,

x1 − x5 = −10, x2 + x5 = 30, x3 − x5 = −10, and x4 − x5 = 10.
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Example 5 – Solution (3 of 3)
Letting t = x5, you have

x1 = t − 10, x2 = −t + 30, x3 = t − 10, x4 = t + 10, x5 = t

where t is any real number, so this system has infinitely

many solutions.

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Network Analysis (2 of 3)
An electrical network is another type of network where
analysis is commonly applied. An analysis of such a system
uses two properties of electrical networks known as
Kirchhoff’s Laws.

1. All the current flowing into a junction must flow out of it.
2. The sum of the products IR (I is current and R is
resistance) around a closed path is equal to the total
voltage in the path.

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Network Analysis (3 of 3)
In an electrical network, current is measured in amperes, or
amps (A), resistance is measured in ohms (Ω, the Greek
letter omega), and the product of current and resistance is
measured in volts (V).

The symbol represents a battery. The larger vertical

bar denotes where the current flows out of the terminal. The
symbol denotes resistance. An arrow in the branch
shows the direction of the current.

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Example 6 – Analysis of an Electrical
Network
Determine the currents I1, I2, and I3 for the electrical network
shown in Figure1.7.

Figure 1.7

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Example 6 – Solution (1 of 3)
Applying Kirchhoff’s first law to either junction produces

I1 + I3 = I 2 Junction 1 or Junction 2

and applying Kirchhoff’s second law to the two paths

produces

R1I1 + R2I2 = 3I1 + 2I2 = 7 Path 1

R2I2 + R3I3 = 2I2 + 4I3 = 8. Path 2

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Example 6 – Solution (2 of 3)
So, you have the system of three linear equations in the
variables I1, I2, and I3 shown below.

I1 − I2 + I3 = 0

3I1 + 2I2 =7

2I2 + 4I3 = 8

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Example 6 – Solution (3 of 3)
Applying Gauss-Jordan elimination to the augmented matrix

produces the reduced row-echelon form

which means I1 = 1 amp, I2 = 2 amps, and I3 = 1 amp.

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