Linear Systems.

Many problems in natural and social sciences as well as in engineering and

physical sciences deal with linear system of equations.
An equation of the type


expressing the constant in terms of the variable and constant is called
a linear equation in one variable (x).
Similarly, the equation

expressing the variable in terms of the variables

and known
constants

is called a linear equation in n variables

x_1,x_2,,x_n.
In many applications and the constants

are given and we must

find numbers

called unknowns (variables), satisfying (1).

A solution to a linear equation (1) is a sequence of numbers

,
which has property that (1) is satisfied when

are
substituted in (1).
Thus

is a solution to the linear equation

because


This is not only solution to the given linear equation, since

is another solution.
More generally, a system of linear equations in unknowns

or simply a linear system , is a set of linear equations each in unknowns.
A linear system can be denoted by

{

A solution to a linear system (2) is a sequence of numbers

,
which has property that each equation in (2) is satisfied when

are substituted in (2).
To find solutions to linear system, we shall use a technique called the
Gaussian elimination method.

Example 1. Consider the linear system
{




We decide to eliminate . We add (-2) times the first equation to the second
one, to obtain
{




Where second equation makes no sense. This means that the linear system (3) has
no solution.
Example 2. Consider the linear system
{





To eliminate we add (-2) times the first equation to the second one and (-3)
times the first equation to the third one, obtaining

{





Multiply the third equation of (5) by

, obtaining
{




Next we interchange the second and third equations we get
{





Now we add 7 times the second equation to the third one, we obtain
{




Multiplying the third equation by

, we have
{




From the second equation we have
.
From the first equation we have
.

Thus, is a solution to the linear system (5).
Note than one can attach to the above considered system of equations the following
array of numbers constructed from the corresponding coefficients of the equations
(



|

)
and do all above considered operations over its rows to solve the system.
(



|

(



|

(



|

(



|

(



|

(



|

(



|

) which means nothing than

{




Example 3. Consider the linear system
{




Eliminating we add (-2) times the first equation to the second, we obtain
{



Solving the second equation in (2) for we obtain

where can be any real number.
Then, from the first equation

Thus a solution to the linear system (1) is



where is any real number.
This means that the linear system (1) has infinity many solutions.

So a linear system may have one solution, no solutions or infinity many solutions.