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A Euclidean Algorithm for Integer Matrices

The article presents a Euclidean algorithm for finding the greatest common right divisor of integer matrices. It establishes a connection between mathematical existence results and algorithmic approaches, detailing how to compute the divisor using row echelon form and elementary operations. An example is provided to illustrate the algorithm's application to specific integer matrices.

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18 views2 pages

A Euclidean Algorithm for Integer Matrices

The article presents a Euclidean algorithm for finding the greatest common right divisor of integer matrices. It establishes a connection between mathematical existence results and algorithmic approaches, detailing how to compute the divisor using row echelon form and elementary operations. An example is provided to illustrate the algorithm's application to specific integer matrices.

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tentimarc
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© © All Rights Reserved
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The American Mathematical Monthly

ISSN: 0002-9890 (Print) 1930-0972 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/uamm20

A Euclidean Algorithm for Integer Matrices

Niels Lauritzen & Jesper Funch Thomsen

To cite this article: Niels Lauritzen & Jesper Funch Thomsen (2019) A Euclidean
Algorithm for Integer Matrices, The American Mathematical Monthly, 126:8, 699-699, DOI:
10.1080/00029890.2019.1626667

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/00029890.2019.1626667

Published online: 19 Sep 2019.

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https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=uamm20
A Euclidean Algorithm for Integer Matrices
Let R denote the ring of n × n matrices with entries in the ring of integers Z. A
matrix D ∈ R is a greatest common right divisor of the matrices A and B in R if D
is a common right divisor of A and B and every common right divisor of A and B is
a right divisor of D.
In [1], Knuth considers the greatest common right divisor of integer matrices
as an example. His remarks in that paper inspired us to look for a bridge between
the “mathematicians’s answer” (an existence result) and the “computer scientist’s
answer” (an algorithm).
For a given submodule M ⊆ Zn , let I (M) ⊆ R denote the left ideal of matrices
with rows contained in M. Notice that RA = I (ZA), where ZA is the submodule
of Zn generated by the rows of A ∈ R. A fundamental result is that any submodule
M ⊆ Zn is free of rank at most n. In particular, M can always be generated by no
more than n vectors. Therefore the left ideal I (M) is principal generated by an n × n
matrix having a generating set for M as rows.
Furthermore, the formula I (M) + I (N) = I (M + N ) holds for two submodules
M, N ⊆ Zn . For two matrices A, B ∈ R, it therefore follows that RA + RB =
RD, where D is an n × n matrix having a generating set for the submodule ZA +
ZB as rows. The matrix D is a greatest common right divisor of A and B.
One may find D from a basis
 A for ZA + ZB. Such a basis can be computed by
reducing the (2n) × n matrix B to row echelon form using elementary Euclidean
row operations. As an example, consider the integer matrices
   
1 2 3 1
A= and B= .
3 4 7 5

Euclidean row operations on the 4 × 2 matrix extended by the identity matrix give
⎛ ⎞ ⎛ ⎞
1 0 0 0 1 2 −11 6 −2 0 1 0
⎜0 1 0 0 3 4⎟ ⎜ 6 −3 1 0 0 1 ⎟
⎜ ⎟  ⎜ ⎟.
⎝0 0 1 0 3 1⎠ ⎝ 9 −5 2 0 0 0 ⎠
0 0 0 1 7 5 47 −27 9 1 0 0
 
This shows that D = 10 01 is a greatest common right divisor of A and B with
 −11 6   −2 0 
6 −3 A + 1 0 B = D. In general, a simple adjustment to the algorithm also
finds X, Y ∈ R with XD = A and Y D = B. This is left as an exercise.

REFERENCES

[1] Knuth, D. E. (1974). Computer science and its relation to mathematics. Amer. Math. Monthly.
81(4): 323–343. doi.org/10.1080/00029890.1974.11993556

—Submitted by Niels Lauritzen and Jesper Funch Thomsen,


Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark

doi.org/10.1080/00029890.2019.1626667
MSC: Primary 15B36, Secondary 11A05

October 2019] 699

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