Propane is used to reduce automobile emissions.

Consider the chemical equation

which relates how propane molecules ( ) combine with oxygen atoms ( ) to
form carbon dioxide ( ) and water ( ):


When a chemist wants to "balance this equation" whole numbers
must be found so that the number of atoms of carbon (C) hydrogen (H) and oxygen
(O) on the left match their respecti!e number on the right. "o balance the equation
write three equations which #eep trac# of the number of carbon hydrogen and oxygen
atoms respecti!ely.

"he next example shows how to sol!e this system.

Example 5. $alance the propane%oxygen equation by sol!e the homogeneous linear
system

Solution 5.
&nter the equations into Mathematica.
'dentify the matrix of coefficients A and column !ector B for the matrix
problem AX ( B.

)orm the augmented matrix M ( *A B+ and perform ,auss%-ordan elimination with
row interchanges.
)ind the reduced row echelon form of the augmented matrix M ( *A B+.
"his linear system is equi!alent to:

"here is one free !ariable which we choose to be . 't is used in
computing .
.ol!e the pre!ious equations for .

/a#e the substitution .

"he solution !ector is
Second Example: A Chemical Reaction
The
rst example has shown that homogeneous systems are both important and simpler
to study. Let us turn to one of them. hen Lord Rayleigh started his
in!estigations
on the composition of the atmosphere around "#$%& he blew ammoniac and air on
a
red'hot copper wire and analysed the result. Let us imitate him& and consider
a typical
reaction of the form%
x ()* + y ,- + . )- / u )-, + ! (-0
where the proportions x0 : : : 0 ! ha!e to be found. E1uilibrium of ('atoms
re1uires
x 2 -!. Similarly& e1uilibrium of hydrogen atoms re1uires *x + -. 2 -u and
finally& for
oxygen& we get -y 2 u. 3roceeding systematically& we ha!e to choose an order
for the
!ariables. e adopt their order of occurrence in the chemical reaction: x& y&
.& u& and
!& hence write the system in the form
http://mathfaculty.fullerton.edu/mathews/n2003/HomogenLinSystemMod.html