In this section we shall develop a systematic procedure for solving systems of

1.2 linear equations. The procedure is based on the idea of reducing the augmented
GAUSSIAN ELIMINATION matrix of a system to another augmented matrix that is simple enough that the
solution of the system can be found by inspection.

Echelon Forms

In Example 3 of the last section, we solved a linear system in the unknowns x, y, and z by reducing the augmented matrix to the
form

from which the solution , , became evident. This is an example of a matrix that is in reduced row-echelon form. To
be of this form, a matrix must have the following properties:

1. If a row does not consist entirely of zeros, then the first nonzero number in the row is a 1. We call this a leading 1.

2. If there are any rows that consist entirely of zeros, then they are grouped together at the bottom of the matrix.

3. In any two successive rows that do not consist entirely of zeros, the leading 1 in the lower row occurs farther to the right than
the leading 1 in the higher row.

4. Each column that contains a leading 1 has zeros everywhere else in that column.

A matrix that has the first three properties is said to be in row-echelon form. (Thus, a matrix in reduced row-echelon form is of
necessity in row-echelon form, but not conversely.)

EXAMPLE 1 Row-Echelon and Reduced Row-Echelon Form

The following matrices are in reduced row-echelon form.

The following matrices are in row-echelon form.

We leave it for you to confirm that each of the matrices in this example satisfies all of the requirements for its stated form.
EXAMPLE 2 More on Row-Echelon and Reduced Row-Echelon Form

As the last example illustrates, a matrix in row-echelon form has zeros below each leading 1, whereas a matrix in reduced
row-echelon form has zeros below and above each leading 1. Thus, with any real numbers substituted for the *'s, all matrices of the
following types are in row-echelon form:

Moreover, all matrices of the following types are in reduced row-echelon form:

If, by a sequence of elementary row operations, the augmented matrix for a system of linear equations is put in reduced row-echelon
form, then the solution set of the system will be evident by inspection or after a few simple steps. The next example illustrates this
situation.

EXAMPLE 3 Solutions of Four Linear Systems

Suppose that the augmented matrix for a system of linear equations has been reduced by row operations to the given reduced
row-echelon form. Solve the system.

(a)

(b)
 (c)

(d)

Solution (a)

The corresponding system of equations is

By inspection, , , .

Solution (b)

The corresponding system of equations is

Since , , and correspond to leading 1's in the augmented matrix, we call them leading variables or pivots. The nonleading
variables (in this case ) are called free variables. Solving for the leading variables in terms of the free variable gives

From this form of the equations we see that the free variable can be assigned an arbitrary value, say t, which then determines the
values of the leading variables , , and . Thus there are infinitely many solutions, and the general solution is given by the
formulas

Solution (c)

The row of zeros leads to the equation , which places no restrictions on the solutions (why?).
Thus, we can omit this equation and write the corresponding system as

Here the leading variables are , , and , and the free variables are and . Solving for the leading variables in terms of the
free variables gives

Since can be assigned an arbitrary value, t, and can be assigned an arbitrary value, s, there are infinitely many solutions. The
general solution is given by the formulas
Solution (d)

The last equation in the corresponding system of equations is

Since this equation cannot be satisfied, there is no solution to the system.

Elimination Methods

We have just seen how easy it is to solve a system of linear equations once its augmented matrix is in reduced row-echelon form.
Now we shall give a step-by-step elimination procedure that can be used to reduce any matrix to reduced row-echelon form. As we
state each step in the procedure, we shall illustrate the idea by reducing the following matrix to reduced row-echelon form.

Step 1. Locate the leftmost column that does not consist entirely of zeros.

Step 2. Interchange the top row with another row, if necessary, to bring a nonzero entry to the top of the column found in Step 1.

Step 3. If the entry that is now at the top of the column found in Step 1 is a, multiply the first row by 1/a in order to introduce a
leading 1.

Step 4. Add suitable multiples of the top row to the rows below so that all entries below the leading 1 become zeros.

Step 5. Now cover the top row in the matrix and begin again with Step 1 applied to the submatrix that remains. Continue in this
way until the entire matrix is in row-echelon form.
 The entire matrix is now in row-echelon form. To find the reduced row-echelon form we need the following additional step.

Step 6. Beginning with the last nonzero row and working upward, add suitable multiples of each row to the rows above to introduce
zeros above the leading 1's.

The last matrix is in reduced row-echelon form.

If we use only the first five steps, the above procedure produces a row-echelon form and is called Gaussian elimination. Carrying
the procedure through to the sixth step and producing a matrix in reduced row-echelon form is called Gauss–Jordan elimination.

Remark It can be shown that every matrix has a unique reduced row-echelon form; that is, one will arrive at the same reduced
row-echelon form for a given matrix no matter how the row operations are varied. (A proof of this result can be found in the article
“The Reduced Row Echelon Form of a Matrix Is Unique: A Simple Proof,” by ThomasYuster, Mathematics Magazine, Vol. 57, No.
2, 1984, pp. 93–94.) In contrast, a row-echelon form of a given matrix is not unique: different sequences of row operations can
produce different row-echelon forms.