Chapter 4: Problem 33
Find the nullspace of the matrix. $$ A=\left[\begin{array}{rrr} 1 & 2 & -3 \\ 2 & -1 & 4 \\ 4 & 3 & -2 \end{array}\right] $$
Short Answer
Expert verified
The null space of the matrix is all scalar multiples of the vector \([-1.2, 2, 1]^T\).
Step by step solution
01
Set the matrix-vector multiplication equal to the null vector
Start by setting up the matrix multiplication \(Ax = 0\), where \(x = \{x_1, x_2, x_3\}\) is a vector, which gives us the following system of linear equations: \[ \begin{align*} 1*x_1 + 2*x_2 - 3*x_3 = 0 \ 2*x_1 - 1*x_2 + 4*x_3 = 0 \ 4*x_1 + 3*x_2 - 2*x_3 = 0 \end{align*} \]
02
Reduce the augmented matrix to row-echelon form
Next we transform the system of linear equations into an augmented matrix, and then perform row operations (multiplication, swapping, or addition) to bring the matrix to row-echelon form. The row-echelon form of the augmented matrix - representing the same system of linear equations - is: \[ \begin{align*} 1 & 2 & -3 \ 0 & -5 & 10 \ 0 & 0 & 0 \end{align*} \]
03
Reduce to reduced row-echelon form and solve
Now we'll further reduce the row-echelon matrix to reduced row-echelon form: \[ \begin{align*} 1 & 0 & 1.2 \ 0 & 1 & -2 \ 0 & 0 & 0 \end{align*} \] This gives us the solutions:\[ x_1 = -1.2x_3 \x_2 = 2x_3 \x_3 = x_3 \] So the general solution vector becomes \([-1.2, 2, 1]^T * x_3\). The nullspace of the matrix is all scalar multiples of the vector \([-1.2, 2, 1]^T\).
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
matrix-vector multiplication
The process of matrix-vector multiplication involves taking a matrix and multiplying it by a vector. This is a fundamental operation in linear algebra. In simple terms, you take each row of the matrix and compute a dot product with the vector. The result is a new vector. In our exercise, we multiplied the given matrix \( A \) by the vector \( x = \{x_1, x_2, x_3\} \) and set it equal to the null vector. This operation helps us form a system of linear equations:
- Each equation corresponds to a row in the matrix.
- Each equation is formed by the dot product of the matrix row and the vector.
row-echelon form
The row-echelon form of a matrix is a type of matrix simplification. This process involves converting a matrix into a simpler form using a set of rules. The rules often involve performing row operations such as:
- Swapping rows.
- Multiplying a row by a non-zero scalar.
- Adding or subtracting the multiples of one row from another.
reduced row-echelon form
Further simplifying a matrix, the reduced row-echelon form (RREF) provides greater insight into solving linear equations. In RREF:
- The leading entry in each non-zero row is 1.
- Each leading 1 is the only non-zero value in its column.
system of linear equations
A system of linear equations is a set of equations where each one is linear. Each equation in a linear system describes a hyperplane in space. In the context of matrices, solving the system means finding the intersection of these hyperplanes. To do this for the given matrix:
- We translated the problem into matrix form and solved using row and reduction operations.
- The system initially provided equations like \(1*x_1 + 2*x_2 - 3*x_3 = 0\).