2015-16 MATH1030 Linear Algebra

Assignment 1 Solution

Section 1.1
6(e)
First, we compute the RREF of the original system:
   
2 1 3 1 2 1 3 1
R2←R2−2(R1)
4 3 5 1  −−−−−−−−→ 0 1 −1 −1
R3←R3−3(R1)
6 5 5 −3 0 2 −4 −6
 1 3 1

1 2 2 2
R3←R3−2(R2)
−−−−−−−−→ 0 1 −1 −1
R1← R1
2 0 0 −2 −4
 1 3 1

−R3
R3← 2
1 2 2 2
−−−−− → 0 1 −1 −1
0 0 1 2

Therefore, the original system is equivalent to


 x1 + x22 + 3x23 = 12
x2 − x3 = −1 ⇒x3 = 2
x3 = 2


x1 + x22 = − 52

Sub. x =2
−−−−−3−→ ⇒x2 = 1
x2 = 1
Sub. x2 =1 
−−−−−−→ x1 = −3 ⇒x1 = −3

1
Therefore, the solution is given by

 x1 = −3
x2 = 1
x3 = 2


6(f )
First, we perform elementary row operations on the following matrix:
2 1
   
3 2 1 0 R1
R1← 3
1 3 3
0
−2 1 −1 2  −−−−→ −2 1 −1 2 
2 −1 2 −1 2 −1 2 −1
1 32 1
 
3
0
R2←R2+2(R1)
−−−−−−−−→ 0 73 − 13 2 
R3←R3−2(R1)
0 − 7 4 −1
 2 31 3 
R2← 37 (R2)
1 3 3 0
−−−−−−−→ 0 1 − 17 67 

R3←R3+R2
0 0 1 1

Therefore, the original system is equivalent to


 x1 + 2x32 + x3
3
= 0
x3
x2 − 7
= 67 ⇒x3 = 1
x3 = 1


x1 + 2x32 = − 13

Sub. x3 =1
−−−−−−→ ⇒x2 = 1
x2 = 1
Sub. x2 =1 
−−−−−−→ x1 = −1 ⇒x1 = −1

Therefore, the solution is given by


 x1 = −1
x2 = 1
x3 = 1


6(h)

2
First, we perform elementary row operations on the matrix:
   
0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 2 6
3 0 3 −4 7 Switch R1 and R3 3 0 3 −4 7
1 1 1 2 6 −−−−−−−−−−→ 0 1 1 1 0
   

2 3 1 3 6 2 3 1 3 6
 
1 1 1 2 6
Switch R2 and R3 0 1 1 1 0
−−−−−−−−−−→  3 0 3 −4 7


2 3 1 3 6
 
1 1 1 2 6
R3←R3−3(R1) 0 1 1 1 0 
−−−−−−−−→  
R4←R4−2(R1) 0 −3 0 −10 −11
0 1 −1 −1 −6
 
1 1 1 2 6
Switch R3 and R4 0 1 1 1 0 
−−−−−−−−−−→  0 1 −1 −1 −6 


0 −3 0 −10 −11
 
1 1 1 2 6
R3←R3−R1 0 1 1 1 0 
−−−−−−−→  
R4←R4+R2 0 0 −2 −2 −6 
0 0 3 −7 −11
 
1 1 1 2 6
−(R3) 0 1 1 1
R3← 0 
−−−−−−2−−→  
3(R3) 0 0 1 1 3 
R4←R4+ 2
0 0 0 −10 −20
 
1 1 1 2 6
−(R4) 
R4← 0 1 1 1 0
−−−−−2−→  0 0 1 1 3 


0 0 0 1 2

3
Therefore, the original system is equivalent to


 x1 + x2 + x3 + 2x4 = 6
x2 + x3 + x4 = 0

⇒x4 = 2

 x3 + x4 = 3
x4 = 2


 x1 + x2 + x3 = 2
Sub. x =2
−−−−−4−→ x2 + x3 = −2 ⇒x3 = 1
x3 = 1


Sub. x =1 x1 + x2 = 1
−−−−−3−→ ⇒x2 = −3
x2 = −3
Sub. x =−3 
−−−−−2−−→ x1 = 4 ⇒x1 = 4

Therefore, the solution is given by



 x1 = 4
x2 = −3


 x3 = 1
x4 = 1


8
We can solve the two systems simultaneously by doing elementary row oper-
ations to the following matrix:
   
1 2 −2 1 9 1 2 −2 1 9
R2←R2−2(R1)
2 5 1 9 9  − −−−−−−−→ 0 1 5 7 −9 
R3←R3−R1
1 3 4 9 −2 0 1 6 8 −11
 
1 2 −2 1 9
R3←R3−R2
−−−−−−−→ 0 1 5 7 −9
0 0 1 1 −2

Therefore, the original systems are equivalent to

 
 x1 + 2x2 − 2x3 = 1  x1 + 2x2 − 2x3 = 9
x2 + 5x3 = 7 and x2 + 5x3 = −9
x3 = 1 x3 = −2
 

4
By doing backward substitutions, the solutions of the two systems are given
by
 
 x1 = −1  x1 = 3
x2 = 2 and x2 = 1
x3 = 1 x3 = −2
 

respectively.
9
(a) Suppose m1 6= m2 , then (−m2 ) − (−m1 ) = m1 − m2 6= 0. Hence, the
system has the unique solution

x1 = mb21 −b
 1
−m2
x2 = 0

(b) Suppose −m1 = −m2 = m and the system is consistent. Assume, on

the contrary, b1 6= b2 , then b1 − b2 6= 0. On the other hand, now the system
becomes 
mx1 + x2 = b1
mx1 + x2 = b2
And by subtracting the two equations, we get b1 − b2 = 0. Therefore, contra-
diction occurs. We cannot have the system being consistent together with
b1 6= b2 , so the system is consistent only if b1 = b2 .
(c) We can write the system as:

x2 = m1 x + b1
x2 = m2 x + b2

The two equations correspond to straight lines on R2 having slope mi and y-

axis intersection at bi for i = 1, 2 respectively. Note that solving this system
is equivalent to finding the intersection points of the two straight lines. For
(a), if m1 6= m2 , then the slope of the two lines are different. Hence, these
two straight lines intersect at exactly one point, no matter what values b1
and b2 take. For (b), the assumption m1 = m2 means that the slopes of the
two straight lines are equal. In this situation, the system is still consistent
(i.e. having at least one solution) only if b1 = b2 , that is, the two straight
lines are equivalent, for otherwise the two straight lines are parallel and thus
have no intersection.

5
Section 1.2
5(f )
The row echlon form of the corresponding matrix of the system is given by
   
1 −1 2 4 1 −1 2 4
row echlon form
2 3 −1 1 − −−−−−−−−→ 0 1 −1 − 75 
7 3 4 7 0 0 0 1

Therefore, the system is not consistent. Solution does not exist.

5(f )
The row echlon form of the corresponding matrix of the system is given by
   
1 −2 3 1 −2 3
row echlon form
2 1 1 −−−−−−−−−→ 0 1 −1
−5 8 4 0 0 1

Therefore, the system is not consistent. Solution does not exist.

5(f )
The row echlon form of the corresponding matrix of the system is given by
   
1 2 −3 1 1 1 2 −3 1 1
row echlon form
−1 −1 4 −1 6 − −−−−−−−−→ 0 1 1 0 7
−2 −4 7 −1 1 0 0 1 1 3

Therefore, the system is consistent but has free variables. For any x4 ∈ R,
we have the solution 
 x1 = 2 − 6x4
x2 = 4 + x4
x3 = 3 − x4


5(l)
The row echlon form of the corresponding matrix of the system is given by
   
1 −3 1 1 1 −3 1 1
2 1 −1 2 row echlon form 0 1 − 3 0
1 4 −2 1 −−−−−−−−−→ 0 0
   7 
0 0
5 −8 2 5 0 0 0 0

6
Therefore, the system is consistent and has no free variables. By backward
substitution we have the solution

 x1 = 1
x2 = 0
x3 = 0


6(b)
The reduced row echlon form (RREF) of the corresponding matrix of the
system is given by
   
1 3 1 1 3 1 3 1 1 3
row echlon form
2 −2 1 2 8 − −−−−−−−−→ 0 1 81 − 41
 2
3 1 2 −1 1 0 0 0 1 3
1 0 8 0 43
5
 
RREF
−−−→ 0 1 18 0 − 14 
0 0 0 1 3

Therefore, the solution of the system is given by


 x1 = 34 − 5x83
x2 = − 14 − x83
x4 = 3


for any x3 ∈ R.
10
The row echlon form of the corresponding matrix of the system is given by
   
1 1 3 2 1 1 3 2
R2←R2−R1
1 2 4 3  − −−−−−−→ 0 1 1 1 
R3←R3−R1
1 3 a b 0 2 a−3 b−2
 
1 1 3 2
R3←R3−2(R2)
−−−−−−−−→ 0 1 1 1 
0 0 a−5 b−4

(a) The system has infinitely many solutions if and only if a − 5 = b − 4 ⇔

a − b = 1.
(b) The system is inconsistent if and only if a − 5 = 0 and b − 4 6= 0, that is,
a = 5 and b ∈ R \ {4}.

7
12
The row echlon form of the corresponding matrix of the systems is given by
   
1 2 1 2 −1 1 2 1 2 −1
R2←R2+R1
−1 −1 2 3 2  −−−−−−−−→ 0 1 3 5 1
R3←R3−2(R1)
2 3 0 0 −2 0 −1 −2 −4 0
 
1 2 1 2 −1
R3←R3+R2
−−−−−−−→ 0 1 3 5 1
0 0 1 1 1

Therefore, the original systems are equivalent to

 
 x1 + 2x2 + x3 = 2  x1 + 2x2 + x3 = −1
x2 + 3x3 = 5 and x2 + 3x3 = 1
x3 = 1 x3 = 1
 

By doing backward substitutions, the solutions of the two systems are given
by
 
 x1 = −3  x1 = 2
x2 = 2 and x2 = −2
x3 = 1 x3 = 1
 

respectively.