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Echelon Form & RREF

The document discusses the concepts of echelon form and reduced row echelon form in linear algebra, explaining how matrices can be transformed into these forms through elementary transformations. It defines the rank of a matrix as the number of non-zero rows in its echelon form and describes the characteristics of basic and non-basic columns. Examples illustrate the differences between row echelon form and reduced row echelon form, highlighting the conditions for each.

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6 views6 pages

Echelon Form & RREF

The document discusses the concepts of echelon form and reduced row echelon form in linear algebra, explaining how matrices can be transformed into these forms through elementary transformations. It defines the rank of a matrix as the number of non-zero rows in its echelon form and describes the characteristics of basic and non-basic columns. Examples illustrate the differences between row echelon form and reduced row echelon form, highlighting the conditions for each.

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UNIT – 1 Linear Algebra

LECTURE-2 &3
Elementary Transformations
(Echelon Form)
Echelon form method:
➢ The “triangular” matrices such as

are in echelon form. In fact, the second matrix is in reduced


echelon form.

➢ Each matrix is row equivalent to one and only one


reduced echelon matrix
❑ Echelon form method:
In this method the rank of the matrix is equal to the no. of
non-zero rows when it has been reduced to Echelon form.

Example:
Non zero row
Non zero row

zero row

Here, no. of non-zero rows is 2. So


rank of the matrix = 2.
Reduced row echelon form
A matrix is said to be in reduced row echelon form when it is in row echelon form and
its basic columns are vectors of the standard basis (i.e., vectors having one entry equal
to 1 and all the other entries equal to 0).
When the coefficient matrix of a linear system is in reduced row echelon form, it is
straightforward to derive the solutions of the system from the coefficient matrix and the
vector of constants.

A matrix is in row echelon form if and only if:


• all its non-zero rows have an entry, called pivot, that is non-zero and has only zero
entries below it and to its left;
• zero-rows (if there are any) are below the non-zero rows.

When a column of a matrix in row echelon form contains a pivot, it is called a basic
column. When it does not contain a pivot, we say that it is a non-basic column.

Definition: We say that a matrix is in reduced row echelon form if and only if it is in
row echelon form, all its pivots are equal to 1 and the pivots are the only non-zero
entries of the basic columns.
Example 1: The matrix

is in reduced row echelon form. It has one zero row (the third), which is below the non-
zero rows. The first and the second row are non-zero, but have a pivot (a11 and a23,
respectively).
The two pivots are equal to 1 and they are the only non-zero entries in their respective
columns.
Example 2: The matrix

is in row echelon form because both of its rows have a pivot. However, it is not in reduced
row echelon form because there is a non-zero entry in the column of the pivot a23.

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