Systems of Linear Equations

Assist. Prof. Dr. Buğçe Eminağa Tatlııcıoğlu

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 Introduction

Introduction
A system of linear equations consists of two or more linear equations
involving the same set of variables.
Solving a system of linear equations means finding values of the
variables that satisfy all the equations simultaneously.
Systems of linear equations are fundamental in various fields such as
physics, engineering, economics, and computer science.


 a11 x1 + a12 x2 + · · · + a1n xn = b1

a21 x1 + a22 x2 + · · · + a2n xn = b2

..


 .

am1 x1 + am2 x2 + · · · + amn xn = bm


where:
aij are the coefficients of the variables xi in each equation.
bi are the constants on the right-hand side of each equation.
x1 , x2 , . . . , xn are the variables of the system.
There are m equations in the system.
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 Basic Properties

Basic Properties

1 A system of linear equations can have:

No solution (inconsistent).
Exactly one solution.
Infinitely many solutions.
2 Two systems are equivalent if they have the same solution set.
3 Operations that preserve the solution set of a system include:
Adding a multiple of one equation to another.
Interchanging the order of equations.
Scaling an equation by a nonzero constant.

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 Basic Properties

Example: No solution

Consider the system of linear equations:

(
3x + 2y = 7
6x + 4y = 13
To determine if the system has a solution, we can use the elimination
method to check for inconsistency:
Subtracting twice the first equation from the second equation, we get:
n
0x + 0y = −1
The equation 0x + 0y = −1 simplifies to 0 = −1, which is never true.
This contradiction implies that the system is inconsistent, and it has no
solution.

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 Basic Properties

Example: Exactly one solution

Consider the system of linear equations:
(
2x + 3y = 5
3x − 2y = 4
Multiplying the first equation by 3 and the second equation by 2, we get:
(
6x + 9y = 15
6x − 4y = 8
7
13y = 7 =⇒ y =
13
7
Substituting y = 13 into the first equation, we can solve for x:
 
7 21 21 40
2x + 3 = 5 =⇒ 2x + = 5 =⇒ 2x = 5 − =
13 13 13 13
20 7
Thus, the solution to the system is x = 13 and y = 13 .
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 Basic Properties

Example: Infinitely many solutions

Consider the system of linear equations:

(
3x + 2y = 6
6x + 4y = 12
To find the solution, we can use the elimination method:
Subtracting twice the first equation from the second equation, we get:
n
0x + 0y = 0
The equation 0x + 0y = 0 simplifies to 0 = 0, which is always true.
As a result, the system has infinitely many solutions. Any values of x and
y that satisfy the first equation will also satisfy the second equation, since
the second equation imposes no further constraints. Therefore, the
solutions form a line in the xy -plane.

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 Basic Properties

Homogeneous Linear Equations

Definition
A system of linear equations is said to be homogeneous if all the constant
terms on the right-hand side are zero.

Example

2x + 3y − z = 0

4x − 2y + 2z = 0

−x + 5y + 3z = 0


is a system of homogeneous linear equations.

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 Basic Properties

Homogeneous Linear Equations

Basic Properties
A homogeneous system always has at least one solution: the trivial
solution where all variables are zero.
If a non-trivial solution exists, the system has infinitely many
solutions.
The sum of two solutions to a homogeneous system is also a solution.
The scalar multiple of a solution to a homogeneous system is also a
solution.

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 Augmented Matrix

Augmented Matrix

An augmented matrix is a compact way to represent a system of

linear equations.
It is formed by arranging the coefficients of the variables and the
constants of the equations in a matrix format.
Each row represents an equation, and the last column contains the
constants.

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 Augmented Matrix

Example: Augmented Matrix

Consider the system of equations:

2x + 3y = 7
4x − 2y = 6

The augmented matrix is:

 
2 3 | 7
4 −2 | 6

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 Augmented Matrix

Example: Augmented Matrix

Consider the following system of linear equations:


2x + 3y − z = 7

4x − 2y + 2z = 6

−x + 5y + 3z = 10


To create the augmented matrix, we arrange the coefficients of the

variables and the constants in a matrix format:
 
2 3 −1 7
 4 −2 2 6 
−1 5 3 10
Each row represents an equation in the system, and the last column
contains the constants on the right-hand side of the equations.

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 Gauss-Jordan Elimination Preparation

Gauss-Jordan Elimination Preparation

Gauss-Jordan elimination is a systematic method for solving systems

of linear equations using matrices.
The first step is to create the augmented matrix of the system.
Then, the matrix is manipulated using elementary row operations to
transform it into a simpler form, such as row echelon form or reduced
row echelon form.
Finally, the solution of the system can be easily read from the
simplified matrix.

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 Introduction to Elementary Row Operations

Elementary Row Operations

In linear algebra, elementary row operations are used to manipulate

matrices.
These operations are crucial for solving systems of linear equations,
computing determinants, and finding matrix inverses.

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 Types of Elementary Row Operations

Types of Operations

1 Row Interchange: Swap the positions of two rows in the matrix.

2 Row Scaling: Multiply all elements of a row by a nonzero scalar.
3 Row Addition: Add a multiple of one row to another row.

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 Example: Performing Elementary Row Operations

Example

Consider the matrix A:  

1 2 3
A = 4 5 6
7 8 9
Perform the following operations:
1 Interchange rows 1 and 2
2 Add −7 times row 2 to row 3
3 Scale row 2 by 2 and multiply
row 2 by 2
 
4 5 6
Resulting Matrix: A′ = 2 4 6 
0 −6 −12

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 Row Echelon Form (REF)

Row Echelon Form (REF)

A matrix is in row echelon form if:

1 The leading entry (the first nonzero entry) in each row is 1.
2 The leading 1 in each row occurs to the right of the leading 1 in the
row above it.
3 Rows consisting entirely of zeros are at the bottom, if any.

The leading entry (that is, the left-most nonzero entry) of every nonzero row,
called the pivot, is on the right of the leading entry of every row above

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 Row Echelon Form (REF)

Example: Row Echelon Form

Consider the matrix:  

1 2 3
B = 0 1 4
0 0 1

Leading entries: 1, 1, 1 (from top to bottom).

Leading 1s occur to the right of leading 1s in the rows above.
No rows consisting entirely of zeros.
Matrix B is in row echelon form.

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 Row Echelon Form (REF)

Row Echelon Form (REF)

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 Example: Converting to REF

Example: Converting to REF

Convert the matrix  

2 4 6
B = 0 3 9
0 0 0
to row echelon form.

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 Reduced Row Echelon Form (RREF)

Reduced Row Echelon Form (RREF)

A matrix is in reduced row echelon form if:

1 It is in row echelon form.
2 Each leading 1 is the only nonzero entry in its column.
3 The leading 1 in each row is the rightmost entry in its row.

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 Reduced Row Echelon Form (RREF)

Example: Reduced Row Echelon Form

Consider the matrix:  

1 0 0 2
C = 0 1 0 3
0 0 1 4

Leading entries: 1, 1, 1 (from top to bottom).

Leading 1s are the only nonzero entries in their columns.
Leading 1s are the rightmost entries in their rows.
Matrix C is in reduced row echelon form.

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 Gauss-Jordan Elimination Technique

Gauss-Jordan Elimination Technique

The Gauss-Jordan elimination technique is a method to reduce a

matrix to its row echelon form (REF) or reduced row echelon form
(RREF).
It involves systematically applying elementary row operations to the
matrix until it reaches REF or RREF.
The goal is to simplify the system of equations represented by the
matrix, making it easier to solve.

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 Gauss-Jordan Elimination Technique

Gauss-Jordan Elimination Technique

1 Start with the original matrix: Begin with the given matrix that
you want to reduce to row echelon form (REF) or reduced row
echelon form (RREF).
2 Choose a pivot element: Select a pivot element in the matrix.
Preferably, choose the leftmost nonzero element in the matrix as the
pivot element. If a nonzero element is not present in the leftmost
column, select the leftmost nonzero element in the subsequent
columns.
3 Move the pivot element to the top row (if necessary): Swap the
rows, if necessary, to move the pivot element to the top row of the
matrix. This step helps in maintaining a structured and efficient
reduction process.
4 Make the pivot element 1: If the pivot element is not already 1,
perform row scaling to make it 1. This ensures that the leading entry
in the row is 1.
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 Gauss-Jordan Elimination Technique

Gauss-Jordan Elimination Technique (cont.)

5 Use row operations to eliminate other entries in the pivot
column: Use row addition and row scaling operations to make all
other entries in the pivot column zero, except for the pivot element
itself.
6 Repeat the process for the remaining rows: Cover the pivot
column, move to the next row and repeat steps 2-5, choosing a new
pivot element in each row. Preferably, select pivot elements in the
leftmost column until all rows have been processed.
7 Continue until the matrix is in REF or RREF: Continue the
process until the entire matrix is in REF or RREF.
8 Normalize rows (optional): In the case of RREF, normalize each
row by making the leading entry (the pivot element) the only nonzero
entry in its column.
9 Complete: The resulting matrix can be used for solving systems of
linear equations, computing determinants, finding inverses, etc.
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 Reduced Row Echelon Form (RREF)

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Gauss-Jordan Elimination Technique

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 Reduced Row Echelon Form (RREF)

Example 1: Gauss-Jordan Elimination

Consider the system of linear equations:

(
2x + 3y = 7
4x − 2y = 6

To solve this system using the Gauss-Jordan elimination method, we first

form the augmented matrix:
 
2 3 | 7
4 −2 | 6

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 Reduced Row Echelon Form (RREF)

Example 1: Gauss-Jordan Elimination (Cont’d)

1 Choose the leftmost nonzero element in the first column as the pivot
element. Divide the first row by 2 to make the pivot element 1:

1 32 | 72
 

4 −2 | 6

2 Use row operations to eliminate the elements below the pivot.

Subtract 4 times the first row from the second row:
1 23 | 72
 

0 −8 | −8

(Continue with the remaining steps)

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Reduced Row Echelon Form (RREF)

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Reduced Row Echelon Form (RREF)

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Reduced Row Echelon Form (RREF)

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 Reduced Row Echelon Form (RREF)

Example 2: Gauss-Jordan Elimination

Consider the system of linear equations:


3x − 2y + z = 4

2x + y − z = 3

x + 3y − 2z = 1


To solve this system using the Gauss-Jordan elimination method, we first

form the augmented matrix:
 
3 −2 1 | 4
2 1 −1 | 3
1 3 −2 | 1

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 Reduced Row Echelon Form (RREF)

Example 2: Gauss-Jordan Elimination (Cont’d)

1 Choose the leftmost nonzero element in the first column as the pivot
element. Divide the first row by 3 to make the pivot element 1:

1 − 32 13 | 43
 
2 1 −1 | 3 
1 3 −2 | 1

2 Use row operations to eliminate the elements below the pivot.

Subtract 2 times the first row from the second row, and subtract 1
times the first row from the third row:
1 − 23 1
| 43
 
3
0 7 − 5 | 5 
3 3 3
0 11 3 − 5
3 | − 1
3

(Continue with the remaining steps)

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 Example: Converting to RREF

Example: Converting to RREF

Convert the matrix  

1 2 3 4
0 1 2 5
C =
0

0 0 1
0 0 0 0
to reduced row echelon form.

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Example: Converting to RREF

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 Homework Exercises

Homework Exercises
1 Given the matrix  
1 0 2
D = 0 2 3
0 1 0
perform row operations to convert it to REF.
2 Convert the matrix  
3 6 9
E = 0 2 4
0 0 5
to RREF.
3 Solve the following system of equations using the Gauss-Jordan
elimination method:
2x + 3y = 7
4x − 2y = 10

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