REDUCED ROW

ECHELON FORM

Prepared by:
Asst. Prof. Israel Peñero
 A reduced row echelon form of a matrix is another
important lesson in Linear Algebra. This topic is also known
as Row Reduction and Echelon Forms. The word echelon is
also known as the row canonical form which is looks like as a
stair-case form of a matrix.

How important is the reduced row echelon

form?

Gaussian elimination is the main use of the row

echelon form. Systems of linear equations can be solved in
linear algebra by using the Gaussian elimination technique
on coefficient matrices. The values of the variables given
the coefficients are clear when matrices are transformed
into row echelon form.
 What are the usage of reduced row echelon form?

Reduced row echelon form or sometimes

called as the Gaussian elimination is the main use
of the row echelon form as what stated in the
previous slide to be able to solve the systems of
linear equations. However, this method is not just
for solving the system of linear equation but it can
be used also for the computation of determinants,
the inversion of matrices, cryptography, in
statistics and many others.
What is Row Reduction Echelon Form?

Definition:
In order to say that an m x n matrix is in what we called an
echelon form, the following properties must be satisfied:

1. All nonzero rows should above of any rows of all zeros.

2. In any nonzero row, the first nonzero entry is one (1). This is
known as the leading one (1).
3. The other element or entries in a column below leading entry
are zeros.
4. The leading entry in each row should be 1 and each leading 1 is
the only nonzero entry in its column.
Illustration:

Sample of matrices in an echelon form.

A= ; B= ; C= ;

D= ;E=

E==
Illustration:

Sample of matrices NOT in an echelon form.

A= ; B= ; C= ;

D= ;E=

E=

Note: Give your explanation why each

of the following given matrix could not
be said an echelon form.
How do we transform the matrix into its equivalent echelon
form?

Transforming given matrix into its equivalent echelon

form needs patient since the student will be experiencing a
lengthy mathematical computation using four basic
fundamental operations in mathematics. In able to do this,
the allowable operation which are called the elementary
row operations are as follows:

1. Interchanging the two rows.

2. Dividing the row by a nonzero number.
3. Subtract or add row by another row.
4. Multiply row by a number to make a leading entry into
1.
Illustration:

Transform the given matrix, say A = .

Solution:

( )
1/2R1  R1 1 0 −2
0 1 1
0 0
-1/3R 3  R3
−3

( () )
1 4 2 1 2R0 −2
3 + R 1 R 1
2 -2R5
1 + R2 R2 1 0 -1R1
3 + R2 R2
1
4 10
-4R1 + R3 R3 − 10 0 1

( ()
1 4 2
− 31
)
0 −
1/3R2 3
 R2 0 0
0 −6 − 90 1 0
0 0 1

( )
1 4
-4R 2 + R1 R1 2
0 1 1
At this point, we could
0 −
6R2 +6
R 3 R 3
now say that the matrix is
− 9
in the echelon form!
 Illustration:
Transform the given matrix, say A = . Row 1
Row 2
Row 3
Row 4
Interchange row 1

( )
and row 3 1 0 4 /5 2/ 5 -4/5R3 + R1 R1
0 1 2/ 5 1/ 5 -2/5R3 + R2 R2

( )
1 3 2 1
-2R1 + R2 R2
0 0 1 − 9/ 7
2 1 2-2R1 + R31
 R3 0 0 −11 /5 2/ 5 11/5R3 + R4 R4
2 2 1 3
-3R1 + R4 R3
3 2 1 2

( )
1 0 0 50 / 35

( )
1 3 2 1 0 1 0 2 1/ 3 5
0 −5 −2 − 1 -1/5R2  R2 0 01 − 9/ 7
0 −4−3 1 0 0 0 − 85/ 35 -35/85 R4 R4
0 −7−5 −1

( ) ( )
1 3 2 1 1 0050 / 35 -50/35R4 + R1 R1
-3R2 + R1 R1
0 1 2/ 5 1/ 5 0 1025 / 35 -25/35R4 + R2 R2
0 −4−3 1 4R2 + R3 R3 0 01 − 9/ 7 9/7 R4 + R3 R3
0 − 7 − 5 − 1 7R2 + R4 R4 0 00 1

( ) ( )
1 0 4 / 5 2/ 5 1 00 At this point, we could
0
0 1 2/ 5 1/ 5 0 10 now say that the matrix is
0
0 01 in the echelon form!
0
0 0 −7 / 5 9 / 5 -5/7R3  R3
0 0 −11 /5 2 /5 0 00 1
Exercises
Transform the following matrix into an echelon form.