SUPPLEMENTAL

MODULES (LINEAR
ALGEBRA)
 CHAPTER OVERVIEW

Supplemental Modules (Linear Algebra)

Matrices
2: Determinants and Inverses
3: Linear Systems
4: Linear Programming

Supplemental Modules (Linear Algebra) is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

1
Matrices
1. Definition of a Matrix
Definition: Matrix

An m by n matrix is an array of numbers with m rows and n columns.

Example 1

⎛4 5 ⎞
⎜0 15⎟
⎝ −9 3
⎠
is a 3 by 2 matrix.

Example 2
Consider the system of equations

2x − y z
+3 = 5 (1)
x z
+4 = 3 (2)
5x −7 y +3 z = 7 (3)

Then the matrix

⎛ 2 −1 3 5 ⎞
⎜
⎜ 1 0 4 3 ⎟
⎟
⎝ 5 −7 3 7 ⎠
is called the augmented matrix associated to the system of equations. Two matrices are called equal if all of their entries are the
same. Two matrices are called row equivalent is one can be transformed using a sequence of the three operations that we
discussed earlier.
1. Interchanging two rows.
2. Multiplying a row by a nonzero constant.
3. Replacing a row with the row + a constant multiple of another row.

2. Solving Linear Systems Using Matrices

We can solve a linear system by writing down its augmented matrix and performing the row operations that we did last time.

Example 3

Solve
2x −y z
+ =3 (4)
x +y +z = 2 (5)
y −z = −1 (6)

Solution
We write the associated augmented matrix:

⎛ 2 −1 1 3 ⎞
⎜⎜ 1 1 1 2 ⎟
⎟
⎝ 0 1 −1 −1 ⎠
Now begin solving by performing row operations:

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 R1 ↔ R2
⎛ 1 1 1 2 ⎞
⎜⎜ 2 −1 1 3 ⎟ ⎟
⎝ 0 1 −1 −1 ⎠
R1 ↔ R −2
⎛ 1 1 1 2 ⎞
⎜
⎜ 0 3 −1 −1 ⎟ ⎟
⎝ 0 1 −1 −1 ⎠
R2 ↔ R3
⎛ 1 1 1 2 ⎞
⎜
⎜ 0 1 −1 −1 ⎟ ⎟
⎝ 0 3 −1 −1 ⎠
R1 − R2 → R1 , R3 +3R2 → R3
⎛ 1 1 1 2 ⎞
⎜
⎜ 0 1 −1 −1 ⎟ ⎟
⎝ 0 3 −1 −1 ⎠
R1 − R2 → R1 , R3 +3R2 → R3
⎛ 1 0 2 3 ⎞
⎜
⎜ 0 1 −1 −1 ⎟ ⎟
⎝ 0 0 −4 −4 ⎠
R3 → − 14 R3
⎛ 1 0 2 3 ⎞
⎜
⎜ 0 1 −1 −1 ⎟ ⎟
⎝ 0 0 1 1 ⎠
R1 −2R3 → R1 , R2 + R3 → R2
⎛ 1 0 0 1 ⎞
⎜
⎜ 0 1 1 0 ⎟ ⎟
⎝ 0 0 1 1 ⎠
R1 −2R3 − → +R1 , R2 + R3 → R2
⎛ 1 0 0 1 ⎞
⎜
⎜ 0 1 0 0 ⎟ ⎟
⎝ 0 0 1 1 ⎠
We can now put the matrix back in equation form:
x = 1, y = 0 and z = 1
Note
If we had seen a bottom row that was of the form 0 0 0 a where a is a nonzero constant, then there would be no solution. If a
had been 0 there would be infinitely many solutions.

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3. Addition and Scalar Multiplication of Matrices
We can only add matrices that are of the same dimensions, that is if

⎛2 3⎞
A=(1 2
), B =⎜4 1⎟, C = (
1 3
)
3 4 ⎝5 9⎠ 7 2

then only A + C makes sense. We write

A+C = ( 1 +1 2 +3
)=( 2 5
)
3 +7 4 +2 10 6

For any matrix, we can multiply a matrix by a real number as in the following example (Same B as above):

⎛ 10 15 ⎞
5 B = ⎜ 20 ⎟
⎝ 25 ⎠
5
45

We define the zero matrix to be the matrix with only zeros for entries. For example, the 2 by 2 zero matrix is

(0 0
)
0 0

4. Multiplication of Matrices
To multiply matrices, unfortunately the definition is not the obvious one. We can only multiply matrices where the number of
columns of the first matrix is the same as the number of rows of the second matrix. The best way to learn how to multiply matrices
is by example:

⎛7 −3 ⎞
Let A=( 3 5 2
) , and B = ⎜ −2 1 ⎟
0 1 −2 ⎝0 5
⎠
then AB = ( 3(7) + 4(−2) + 2(0) 3(−3) + 4(1) + 2(5)
)=( 13 5
)
0(7) + 1(−2) + −2(5) 0(−3) + 1(1) + −2(5) −12 −9

Exercise

⎛ 4 2 1 ⎞ ⎛1 0⎞ ⎛3 4 2 ⎞
Let A=(1 2
) , B = ⎜ −2 0 0 ⎟ , C = ⎜ 2 1 ⎟ , D = ( 35 4 0
), B =⎜1 5 0 ⎟
3 4 ⎝ 1 6 −1
⎠ ⎝4 5⎠ 0 0 ⎝1 −1 2
⎠
Evaluate each one that makes sense:
1) A + B 2) 4C 3) AB 4) CD 5) DC 6) B + E 7) A3

5. Applications of Matrices
Application 1
A) Tables and chairs are made in the Mexico plant, the Brazil plant, and the US plant. The matrix below represents the quantity
made per day.

Quantity

Mexico Brazil US
A: Tables 15 10 50

Chairs 30 12 75

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Labor and material cost for 1997 are represented in the following matrix.

Labor Material

Mexico 15 20
B= Brazil 12 10

US 30 5

In 1997, the costs have increases to

Labor Material

Mexico 17 25
C= Brazil 15 15

US 45 10

Find the following and describe what they mean:

1) AB 2) C − B 3) AC 4) A(C − B) 5) 365AC

Application 2
Suppose that you have two jobs, each contribute to two different mutual funds for retirement. The first fund pays 5% interest and
the second pays 8% interest. Initially $5,000 is put into the funds and after one year there will be $5,300. If the first fund got half of
the money from the first job and one third of the money from the second job, how much did each job contribute?
Hint: Multiplication of matrices is the same as composition of functions
Larry Green (Lake Tahoe Community College)
Integrated by Justin Marshall.

This page titled Matrices is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Larry Green.

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2: Determinants and Inverses
Determinants
Consider row reducing the standard 2x2 matrix. Suppose that a is nonzero.

(a b)
c d
1
aR 1 → R , R − cR
1 2 1 → R
2

b
(1 a )
c d
b
(1 a )
0 d − cba
Now notice that we cannot make the lower right corner a 1 if

d − cba = 0
or

ad − bc = 0.
Definition: The Determinant

We call ad − bc the determinant of the 2 by 2 matrix

(a b )
c d
it tells us when it is possible to row reduce the matrix and find a solution to the linear system.

Example 2.1

The determinant of the matrix

( 35 1
2
)
is
3(2) − 1(5) = 6 − 5 = 1.

Determinants of 3 x 3 Matrices
We define the determinant of a triangular matrix

⎛a d e⎞
⎜0 b f⎟
⎝0 0 c⎠
by

det = abc.

2.1 [Link]
Notice that if we multiply a row by a constant k then the new determinant is k times the old one. We list the effect of all three row
operations below.

Theorem

The effect of the the three basic row operations on the determinant are as follows
1. Multiplicationof a row by a constant multiplies the determinant by that constant.
2. Switching two rows changes the sign of the determinant.
3. Replacing one row by that row + a multiply of another row has no effect on the determinant.

To find the determinant of a matrix we use the operations to make the matrix triangular and then work backwards.

Example 2.2

Find the determinant of

⎛ 2 6 10
⎞
⎜ ⎟
⎝ ⎠
2 4 −3

0 4 2

We use row operations until the matrix is triangular.

1

2
R
1 → R 1 (Multiplies the determinant by
1

2
)

⎛ 1 3 5
⎞
⎜ ⎟
⎝ ⎠
2 4 −3

0 4 2

R 2 −2 R 1 → R 2 (No effect on the determinant)

⎛ 1 3 5
⎞
⎜ ⎟
⎝ ⎠
0 −2 −13

0 4 2

Note that we do not need to zero out the upper middle number. We only need to zero out the bottom left numbers.

R 3 +2 R
2 → R
3 (No effect on the determinant).

⎛ 1 3 5
⎞
⎜ ⎟
⎝ ⎠
0 −2 −13

0 0 −24

Note that we do not need to make the middle number a 1.

The determinant of this matrix is 48. Since this matrix has 1

2
the determinant of the original matrix, the determinant of the
original matrix has

determinant = 48(2) = 96.

Inverses
We call the square matrix I with all 1's down the diagonal and zeros everywhere else the identity matrix. It has the unique property
that if A is a square matrix with the same dimensions then

AI IA A = = .

2.2 [Link]
 Definition
If A is a square matrix then the inverse A−1 of A is the unique matrix such that

AA−1 = A−1 A = I .

Example 2.3
Let

A =(2 5)
1 3
then

A−1 = ( 3 −5 )
−1 2
Verify this!

Theorem: ExistEnce
The inverse of a matrix exists if and only if the determinant is nonzero.

To find the inverse of a matrix, we write a new extended matrix with the identity on the right. Then we completely row reduce, the
resulting matrix on the right will be the inverse matrix.

Example 2.4
( 2 −1 )
1 −1
First note that the determinant of this matrix is

−2 +1 = −1
hence the inverse exists. Now we set the augmented matrix as

( 21 −1 1 0
−1 0 1 )
R1 ↔R2
( 12 −1 0 1
−1 1 0 )
R2 −2R1 →R2
( 10 −1 0 1 )
1 1 −2
R1 + R2 →R1
( 10 01 11 −1−2 )
Notice that the left hand part is now the identity. The right hand side is the inverse. Hence

A−1 = ( 1 −1 )
1 −2

2.3 [Link]
Solving Equations Using Matrices
Example 2.5

Suppose we have the system

2 −x y =3
x −y = 4
Then we can write this in matrix form

Ax = b
where

A=(2 −1
), x =(x), and b =(3)
1 −1 y 4

We can multiply both sides by A−1 :

A Ax = A b
−1 −1

or

x=A b −1

From before,

A −1
= (1 −1
)
1 −2

Hence our solution is

( −1 −5 )

or

x = −1 and y = 5

Contributors
Larry Green (Lake Tahoe Community College)
Integrated by Justin Marshall.

This page titled 2: Determinants and Inverses is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Larry Green.

2.4 [Link]
3: Linear Systems
1. Geometry of Systems of Equations
We know that for two by two linear systems of equation, the geometry is that of two lines that either intersect, are parallel, or are
the same line. If they intersect then there is exactly one solution, if they are parallel then there are no solutions, and if they are the
same line, then there are infinitely many solutions. For three by three systems, the situation is different. The solution set is either
the empty set, a point, a line, or a whole plane. For four by four systems, the geometry becomes four dimensional and is rough to
comprehend, but is still useful.

2. The Algebra of Linear Systems

In this class we will perform algebra on linear systems in a new way. For example, for a three by three system, we line the
equations up to form three rows. We will manipulate the rows to simplify the equations. There are three operations, called row
operations that we can perform:

cRj + Ri → Ri (3.1)

We follow the following steps that use row operations to solve a system of equations.
1. We interchange rows so that the top left corner is nonzero (preferably a 1).
2. We multiply row 1 by the appropriate number to make the top left corner a 1.
3. We replace rows two and three with the appropriate multiples of row 1 + rows two and three to make the two bottom rows begin
with 0.
4. We interchange the two bottom rows so that the middle coefficient nonzero.
5. We multiply row two appropriately so that the middle number is a 1.
6. We use row two to make the middle top and bottom zero.
7. Make the bottom right 0.
8. Use row three to make the top and middle rights 0.

x =1 (3.2)
y =2 (3.3)
z=3 (3.4)

3. Exercises

4x −3y z− =0 (3.5)
x −3y +2z = 7 (3.6)
3x 9y − z = −2 (3.7)

3x −2y z
+ =3 (3.8)
4x +y =1 (3.9)
11y z
−4 = −9 (3.10)

4. Application

3.1 [Link]
Your breakfast consists of orange juice, cereal, and eggs with the following nutritional information:

OJ Cereal Eggs

Protein 0% 10% 20%

Vitamin C 20% 15% 0%

Calories 100 120 100

If you must have 30% protein, 30% Vitamin C and 300 calories for your breakfast, How many servings of OJ, Cereal, and
Eggs should you have?

Solution
Let
x = the number of servings of OJ
y = the number of servings of Cereal
z = the number of servings of eggs

Then

y 10 +20 z = 30 (3.11)

20 x +15 y = 30 (3.12)

100 x +120 y +100 z = 300 (3.13)

We conclude that the breakfast should consist of 1.5 of a serving of OJ, no cereal, and 1.5 servings of eggs.
1.

20 x y
+15 = 30 (3.14)

y 10 z = 30
+20 (3.15)

100 x +120 y +100 z = 300 (3.16)

2.
3 3
x + y = (3.17)
4 2

10 y +20 z = 30 (3.18)

100 x +120 y +100 z = 300 (3.19)

3.
3 3
x + y = (3.20)
4 2

10 y +20z = 30 (3.21)

45 y +100 z = 150 (3.22)

4. Already Done
5.
3 3
x + y = (3.23)
4 2

y +2 z =3 (3.24)

45 y +100 z = 150 (3.25)

6.

3.2 [Link]
 3 3
x − z =− (3.26)
2 4
y +2 z = 3 (3.27)
10 z = 15 (3.28)

7.
3 3
x − z =− (3.29)
2 4
y +2 z = 3 (3.30)
3
z= (3.31)
2

8.
3
x = (3.32)
2
y =0 (3.33)
3
z= (3.34)
2

Larry Green (Lake Tahoe Community College)

Integrated by Justin Marshall.

3: Linear Systems is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

3.3 [Link]
4: Linear Programming
1. Linear Programming (An Example)
Maximize

subject to the constraints

First we graph the system of inequalities.

For

we use and and note that the arrows point towards .

For

we use and and note that the arrows point towards .

and constrain the region in the first quadrant.
We have a closed and bounded region (closed means that all the boundary lines are solid). We now need to find the largest value
that

gives when is inside the region. Lets try some guesses.

1. If we can graph

and note that the graph is a line that intersects the region.
2. If we can graph

and note that the graph is a straight line that intersects the region. Notice also that these lines are parallel.
3. If , we again get a parallel line that intersects the region.
4. If , we get a parallel line that does not intersect the region. Therefore, must be smaller than 30.
We are searching for the parallel line that is farthest from the origin that intersects the region. this occurs at the corner point .

4.1 [Link]
2. The Big Theorem
Theorem: Fundamental Theorem of Linear Programming

If a linear programming problem has a solution, then the solution always occurs at a corner point. If two adjacent
corner points give solutions, then every point on the line segment connecting them also give that solution. If the
profit function is

then if the region is bounded, then obtains both a maximum and a minimum.
1. If and are positive, then will always have a minimum in the region if the region lies entirely within the first
quadrant.

Step by Step Process

1. Graph the region and list the corner points in a table. You find the corner points by using matrices. Note if the region is
bounded, or if we are looking for a minimum and that region is restricted to the first quadrant.
2. In the second column evaluate the Profit function
3. If we are looking for a maximum, circle the largest number in the profit column. If there is a unique maximum then this is the
solution. If there are two maxima, then the entire line segment between the two points gives a solution. If we are looking for a
minimum, then circle the smallest number in the profit column, and proceed as before.

subject to the constraints

We graph the equations and notice that there are three easy to find corner points

The forth corner point is at the intersection of the two lines. The matrix is

2 1

1 1

Note that the determinant is

so that a solution exists. We use a calculator to find

1 -1

-1 2

Hence the solution is

4.2 [Link]
 Now construct a profit table:

Point

3,200

2,500

3,400

Since the largest number is 3,400, we can conclude that the maximum occurs at the point with a value of 3,400.

3. Linear Programming Applications

Solomon manufactures parabolic skis and conventional skis. The manufacturing process is done first at the
fabricating department and then at the finishing department. The fabricating department has at most 108 labor
hours per day available while the finishing department has at most 24 labor hours available per day. The
parabolic ski requires 6 labor hours at the fabricating department and one labor hour at the finishing
department. The conventional ski requires 4 labor hours at the fabricating department and one labor hour at the
finishing department. Solomon makes a $40 profit on its parabolic skis and $30 on its conventional skis. How
many of each type of ski should be manufactured each day to realize a maximum profit.

Harveys is planning to add an additional room to its casino. The casino consists of card tables and slot
machines. On an average day, a slot machine makes $2,000, while a card table makes $30,000. The total
square feet available at Harveys' new casino room for gaming is 3,000 square feet and the total number of
additional employees allowed by the gaming commission is 45. If a slot machine occupies 6 square feet and
requires one employee per 12 machines and a card table occupies 54 square feet and requires three
employees per two tables, how many slot machines and how many card tables should be put into the new
casino room in order to maximize profit? What is the maximum Profit? (Smaller tables are permitted)

A veterinarian wishes to prepare a supply of dog food by mixing Purina Big chunks and Alpo Meaties. The
mixture is to contain at least 50 units of carbohydrates, at least 36 units of protein, and at least 40 units of fat.
The Big Chunks contain 3 units of carbohydrates per pound, 3 units of protein per pound, and 2 units of fat per
pound. The Meaties contain 5 units of carbohydrates per pound, 4 units of protein per pound, and 8 units of fat
per pound. The veterinarian can purchase the Big Chunks for 44 cents per pound and the Meaties for 80 cents
per pound. How many pounds of each dog food should be mixed in order to meet the dietary requirements at
the least cost?

4: Linear Programming is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

4.3 [Link]