Augmented Matrices and Elementary Row Operations

As the number of equations and unknowns in a linear system increases so does the
complexity of the algebra involved in finding solutions. So we write system of
equations in the form of matrices and solve it by row echelon form (Gauss
Elimination Method) or reduced row echelon form (Gauss Jorden Method). These
methods are very useful to find the solutions of system linear equations.

{
a11 x 1 +a12 x2 +…+ a1 n x n =b1
a21 x 1 +a 22 x 2+ …+a2 n x n=b2
....
....
....
am 1 x1 + am 2 x 2 +…+ amn x n =bm

The augmented matrix for the system is

[ ]
a11 a12 … . a1 n :b1
a21 a22 … . a 2n :b2
⋮ ⋱⋮
am 1 am 2 … . amn :bm

The basic method for solving a linear system is to perform appropriate algebraic
operations on the system that do not alter the solution set and that produce a
succession of increasingly simpler systems, until a point is reached where it can be
ascertained whether the system is consistent, and if so, what its solutions are.
Typically, the algebraic operations are as follows:
1. Multiply an equation through by a nonzero constant.
2. Interchange two equations.
3. Add a constant times one equation to another.
Since the rows (horizontal lines) of an augmented matrix correspond to the equations
in the associated system, these three operations correspond to the following
operations on the rows of the augmented matrix:
1. Multiply a row through by a nonzero constant.
2. Interchange two rows.
3. Add a constant times one row to another.
These are called elementary row operations on a matrix.
 Gauss Elimination Method
Example 1 Use elementary row operations to solve the linear system:
x 1+ x2 +2 x 3=9
2 x1 + 4 x 2−3 x 3=1
3 x 1+ 6 x 2−5 x 3=0
Solution: The Augmented matrix is

[ ]
1 1 2 :9
2 4 −3 :1
3 6 −5 : 0

[ ]
1 1 2 :9
0 2 −7 :17 ~~~~~~~~~~~ R2−2 R1
3 6 −5 :0

[ ]
1 1 2 :9
0 2 −7 :17 ~~~~~~~~~~~ R3−3 R 1
0 3 −11 :−27

[ ]
1 1 2 :9
−7 17 1
0 1 :− ~~~~~~~~~~~ R
2 2 2 2
0 3 −11 :−27

[ ]
1 1 2 :9
−7 17
0 1 :−
2 2 ~~~~~~~~~~~ R3−3 R 2
−1 3
0 0 :−
2 2
Echelon Form

[ ]
1 1 2 :9
−7 17
0 1 :− ~~~~~~~~~~~ −2 R3
2 2
0 0 1 :3

{
x 3=3
7 −17
x 2− x 3=
2 2
x 1+ x 2 +2 x 3=9

Putting x 3=3 in equation (2), we get x 2=2

Using x 3=3 , x 2=2 in equation (3), we get x 1=1
So (1, 2, 3) is solution of above system.

Gauss Jordan Method

Finding the solution of linear system by converting the augmented matrix into
reduced echelon form is called Gauss Jorden Method. For this I take the matrix of
echelon form:

[ ]
1 1 2 :9
−7 17
0 1 :−
2 2
0 0 1 :3

[ ]
1 1 2 :9
7
0 1 0 :2 −−−−−−−−−−−−−R2 + R3
2
0 0 1 :3

[ ]
1 1 0 :3
0 1 0 :2 −−−−−−−−−−−−−R1−2 R3
0 0 1 :3

[ ]
1 0 0 :1
0 1 0 :2 −−−−−−−−−−−−−R1−R2
0 0 1 :3

x 1=1, x 2=2, x 3=3 Reduced row

echelon form
So (1, 2, 3) is solution of above system.
Example 2: Solve the linear system of equation:

{
x+ z +2 w=6−−−−→(1)
y−2 z=−3−−−−−→ ( 2 )
x+ 2 y −z=−2−−−−→ ( 3 )
2 x + y +3 z−2 w=0−−−→(4)
Solution:
Using (1) and (4), we get
3 x+ y+ 4 z=6−−−−→(5)
Using equation (3) and (5)
5 y−7 z=−12−−−−→ ( 6 )
Using equation (2) and (6)
−3 z=−3 or z=1
Put z=1 in equation (6) implies
y=−1
Putting value of y and z in equation (3), we get x=1
Finally, using value of x , y and z in equation (1) we have w=2
So ( 1 ,−1 , 1 ,2 ) is solution of above system.
Repeat Example 1 Solve the linear system of equations using Gauss-Jordan method:

{
x+ z +2 w=6−−−→(1)
y−2 z=−3−−−−−→ ( 2 )
x+ 2 y −z=−2−−−−→ ( 3 )
2 x + y +3 z−2 w=0−−−→(4)

Note: Do and match your answer with the solution obtained above.
Solution: The Augmented matrix is

[ ]
1 0 1 2:6
0 1−2 0 :−3
1 2−1 0 :−2
21 3−2:0

[ ]
1 0 1 2:6
01−2 0:−3
~~~~~~~~~~~ R3−R 1 , R4 −2 R 1
0 2−2−2:−8
0 11−6 :−12

[ ]
1 01 2 :6
0 1−2 0 :−3
~~~~~~~~~~~ R3−2 R2 , R4 −R2
0 0 2−2:−2
0 0 3−6 :−9

[ ]
1 01 2 :6
0 1−2 0 :−3 1
~~~~~~~~~~~ R
0 0 1−1:−1 2 3
0 0 3−6 :−9

[ ]
1 01 2 :6
0 1 0−2 :−5 R 1−R3 , R 2+2 R3 , R 4−3 R 3
0 0 1−1 :−1
0 0 0−3 :−6

[ ]
1 0 0 3 :7
0 10−2 :−5 −1
~~~~~~~~~~~ R
0 0 1−1 :−1 3 4
0 0 0 1 :2

[ ]
10 0 0 :1
0 10 0 :−1
0 01 0 :1
~~~~~~~~~~~ R1−3 R 4 , R 2+2 R4 , R 4−3 R3
0 0 01 :2

Thus, x=1, y=−1, z=1, w=2.

Some Facts About Echelon Forms
There are three facts about row echelon forms and reduced row echelon forms that are
important to know but we will not prove:
1. Every matrix has a unique reduced row echelon form; that is, regardless of whether
you use Gauss-Jordan elimination or some other sequence of elementary row
operations, the same reduced row echelon form will result in the end.
2. Row echelon forms are not unique; that is, different sequences of elementary row
operations can result in different row echelon forms.
3. Although row echelon forms are not unique, all row echelon forms of a matrix A
have the same number of zero rows, and the leading 1's always occur in the same
positions in the row echelon forms of A. Those are called the pivot positions of A. A
column that contains a pivot position is called a pivot column of A.

Example 3

The following matrices are in reduced row echelon form.

The following matrices are in row echelon form but not reduced row echelon form.

Example 4
Use Gauss-Jordan elimination to solve the homogeneous linear system

{
z +w=0
y + z=0
x + y =0
x+ w=0
Hint: Solution is (t,-t, t, -t).
 Gauss-Jordan Method Continued….
Example Solve the linear system of equation using Gauss-Jordan method

{3x+x +84 y−z =12

y −2 z=4
Solution.
[ 13 4 −1 :12
8 −2 :4 ]
[ 10 4 −1 :12
−4 1 :−32 ] ~~~~~~~~~~~ R2−3 R1

[ ]
1 4 −1 :12
−1
0 1
−1
:8
~~~~~~~~~~~ R
4 2
4

[ ]
1 0 0 :−20
0 1
−1
:8
~~~~~~~~~~~ R1 −4 R2
4

Let z=t ,
1
y=8+ t
4

( 1
So Solution of this system is −20 , 8+ 4 t ,t . )
Example 2
Solve the following systems of linear equations using Gauss Jordan elimination
method:

{
x+ 2 y + z=12
i) 5 x +2 y−3 z=1
2 x + y−z=2

[ ]
1 2 1 :12
Solution: 5 2 −3 :1
2 1 −1 :2

[ ]
1 2 1 :12
0 −8 −8 :−59 ~~~~~~~~~~~ R2−5 R1
2 1 −1 :2
[ ]
1 2 1 :12
0 −8 −8 :−59 ~~~~~~~~~~~ R3−2 R1
0 −3 −3 :−22

[ ]
1 2
1 :12
59 −1
0 1 1: ~~~~~~~~~~~ R
8 8 2
0 −3 −3 :−22

[ ]
1 2 1 :12
59
0 1 1:
8 ~~~~~~~~~~~ R3 +3 R2
1
0 0 0 :
8

So the above system has no solution.

{
x+ 2 y +3 z=6
ii) 2 x−3 y +2 z=14
3 x + y −z=−2

[ ]
1 2 3 :6
Solution: 2 −3 2 :14
3 1 −1 :−2

[ ]
1 2 3 :6
0 −7 −4 :2 ~~~~~~~~~~~ R2−2 R1
3 1 −1 :−2

[ ]
1 2 3 :6
0 −7 −4 :2 ~~~~~~~~~~~ R3−3 R 1
0 −5 −10 :−20

.
.
.

[ ]
1 0 0 :1
0 1 0 :−2 So the above system has solution (1, -2, 3).
0 0 1 :3

(iii) {x+2 y−3 z=−4

2 x + y −3 z =4

Solution: … The above system has solution (4+t, t-4, t).

Work to do:
Howard Anton (Exercise 1.2)

Determine the values of a for which the system has no solutions, exactly one solution, or
infinite many solutions.
 Howard Anton (Exercise 1.2)
Q1. In each part, determine whether the matrix is in row echelon form, reduced row
echelon form, both or neither.

Q3. In each part, 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.

Work to do:
Q5 Solve the linear system of equation by using Gauss elimination or Gauss-Jordan
elimination method

11.