6C Homogenous and Non-homogenous Systems 6C - 1

Video 1: https://youtu.be/BKj0bbIQfsQ
6C Homogeneous and Non-homogeneous Systems
Homogeneous System:
system of the form Ax  0
(All constant terms are 0)
Non-homogeneous System:
system of the form Ax  b where b  0
(Some constant terms are not 0)

Example: Homogeneous system Example: Non-homogeneous system

x  2y  z  0 x  2y  z  0
2x  y  2z  0 2x  y  2z  1
x x
1 2 1 0 1 2 1 0
y  y 
2 1 2 0 2 1 2 1
z z
Ax  0 Ax  b  0

Note that this system is consistent

since it has at least one solution,
namely x  0 y0 z  0, A homogeneous system
x 0 Ax  0 is consistent since
or in vector form y  0 ,
it has at least one solution,
z 0
namely the trivial solution
which is called the trivial solution
x0
 6C Homogenous and Non-homogenous Systems 6C - 2

 Homework: Does the following homogeneous system Ax  0 have a unique solution (trivial solution)
or infinitely many solutions (non-trivial solutions) ? Find the solution space .

(a) x  2y  z  0 1 2 1 x 0
xyz  0 1 1 1 y  0
xyz  0 1 1 1 z 0
Ax0

Augmented matrix A0 REF

1 2 1 0 1 2 1 0
1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0
1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0

rankA  # of columns of A.
Hence, the system has a unique solution, which is the trivial solution x  0, y  0, z  0.
x 0
Solution space: Solution space  zero subspace of  3 ,
y  0
(in vector form) consisting only of the zerovector.
z 0

x
(b) x  2y  2z  u  0 1 2 2 1 y 0
 Ax  0
x  y  z  2u  0 1 1 1 2 z 0
A u
Without any work we see that rankA  2  # rows of A  # of columns of A. Hence, the system
has free variables and therefore infinitely many (non-trivial) solutions.

Augmented matrix A0 RREF Reduced system

1 2 2 1 0 1 0 4 5 0 x  4z  5u  0
1 1 1 2 0 0 1 3 3 0 y  3z  3u  0

Solution space: In vector form:

x  4s  5t x 4 5 A homogeneous system
y  3s  3t y 3 3 that has fewer equations
s t
zs z 1 0 than unknowns has
ut u 0 1 infinitely many solutions.
where s, t   where s, t  
 6C Homogenous and Non-homogenous Systems 6C - 3

4 5 solutions space is subspace of  4

3 3
Solution space  span ,
1 0
0 1
solution vectors that are
spanned by the solution vectors
that are multiplied by the parameters
(free variables)

multiplied by the

parameters (free variables)

(c) 2x  3y  4z  0 Recall, a linear equation in x,y and z

is the equation of a plane in  3
Since there is only one equation, there is no need Gauss-Jordan elimination.
There are 2 free variables and one basic variable. Let’s take x as basic variable and y and z
as free variables. Then y  s and z  t .
(We could also take y or z as the basic variable and the other two variables as free variables.)

Solution space: In vector form:

x  3 s  2t x 3/2 2
2
ys y s 1 t 0
zt z 0 1
where s, t   where s, t  

. The solutionspace is the subspace

3/2 2
span , of  3 . which is a plane through the points
1 0
0, 0, 0, 3/2, 1, 0 and 2, 0, 1
0 1
solution vectors that are

multiplied by the

parameters (free variables)

 6C Homogenous and Non-homogenous Systems 6C - 4

We call the solution space of a homogeneous system Ax  0 the nullspace of (the

coefficient matrix) A. It is denoted nullA.
Hence, if A is a matrix, nullA is the solution space of the homogeneous system Ax  0.

Theorem 1: Nullspace of a marix A

(a) If A is an m  n matrix, then nullA, the solutionspace of Ax  0, is a subspace of  n .

(b) If Ax  0 has a unique solution, namely the trivial solution x  0, then nullA  0,

the zero subspace of  n .

(c) If Ax  0 has infinitely many solutions, then the standard procedure for writing the

solution set in vector form naturally produces a spanning set of vectors for nullA which

consists of the vectors that are multiplied by the parameters (free variables). (See pages 2,3)

Proof of (a): To show that nullA is a subspace of  n , we need to show that

for any vectors u and v in nullA and any scalar c:
(1) u  v is in nullA and (2) cu is in nullA. (See chapter 4, page 5)

Suppose u , v  nullA and c is a scalar. Then Au  0 and Av  0

By linearity of the matrix vector product,
Au  v  Au  Av  0  0  0 and Acu  cAu  c0  0.
It follows that u  v is in nullA and cu is in nullA.
Hence, nullA is closed under addition and scalar multiplication and therefore a subspace of  n .
 6C Homogenous and Non-homogenous Systems 6C - 5

5 6 3 3
 Homework: Find nullA where A  7 9 4 5 .
2 3 1 1

Solution: nullA is the solutionspace of the system Ax  0,

x
y (instead of x, y, z and u we
where we will assume that x 
z can use other 4 variables.)
u
.
Augmented matrix A0 RREF

5 6 3 3 0 1 0 1 0 0
7 9 4 5 0 0 1 1 0 0
3
2 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0

nullA  Solution space

1
x 1
1/3
y 1/3 nullA  span subspace of  4
t t 1
z 1
0
u 0

 Homework: Find nullA for the following matrix A.

(a) 1 2 1 0
A 1 1 1 nullA  0 zero subspace of  3
1 1 1 0

4 5
(b) 1 2 2 1 3 3
A nullA  span , subspace of  4
1 1 1 2 1 0
0 1

3/2 2 subspace of  3
(c) A 2 3 4 nullA  span 1 , 0 plane through 0, 0, 0,
0 1 3/2, 1, 0 and 2, 0, 1
 6C Homogenous and Non-homogenous Systems 6C - 6

Video 2: https://youtu.be/aKZoeEh5PDs
 Relationship between the Solution Set of a Non-homogeneous and Associated
Homogeneous Systems

 Example: Compare the solution sets of the non-homogeneous linear system

x
1 2 3 1
y  Ax  b
1 1 1 3
z

and the associated homogeneous linear system (has the same coefficient matrix A)
x
1 2 3 0
y  Ax  0
1 1 1 0
z

Solution:

Solution set of Ax  0 Solution set of Ax  b

x  tv x  p  tv
x 1 x 5 1
y  t 2 y  2 t 2
z 1 z 0 1

solutions of solutions of particular sol solutions

Ax  0 Ax  b of Ax  b for t  0 of Ax  0

Note that the solution set of Ax  0 is a line through 0 with

direction vector v and the solution set of Ax  b is a parallel
line through p with direction vector v.
Thus the solution set of Ax  b is the solution set of Ax  0
translated by the vectors p.
 6C Homogenous and Non-homogenous Systems 6C - 7

Theorem 2: Solutionset of Non-homogeneous and Assoociated Homogeneous System

Suppose the system Ax  b is consistent.
If p is a particular solution of the system Ax  b, then the solutions x of the system have the form
x  p  x h , where x h is a solution of the homogeneous system Ax  0.

The solution sets of Ax  b

is the solution set of Ax  0
translated by the vector p.

 Homework: Suppose the solution set of the non-homogeneous system Ax  b is

x 3 2 3
y 2 1 0
 s t where s, t  
z 1 2 5
u 4 0 1

x  p  xh
What is the solution set of the associated homogeneous system Ax  0.
3
2
Solution: p  is a particular solution of Ax  b (for s  t  0, x  p )
1
4
x 2 3
y 1 0
Solutionset of Ax  0 is: xh  s t where s, t  
z 2 5
u 0 1
 6C Homogenous and Non-homogenous Systems 6C - 8

 Homework: Suppose the homogeneous system Ax  0 has solution set

x 1 3
y 1 0
xh  s t where s, t  
z 3 2
u 0 1

1
2
and p  is a solution of the non-homogeneous system Ax  b.
0
1
Find the solutionset of Ax  b.

Solution: Solutionset of Ax  b is x  p  x h
x 1 1 3
y 2 1 0
 s t where s, t  
z 0 3 2
u 1 0 1