Maths Learning Service: Revision Mathematics IA

Matrices Mathematics IMA

A matrix is an array of numbers, written within a set of [ ] brackets, and arranged into a
pattern of rows and columns. For example:

" # 1 0 0
1 2 3 h i
, 0 1 0 ,

21 7 4 9
4 5 6
0 0 1

The order (or size, or dimension) of a matrix is written as m n where m = the number
of rows, and n = the number of columns. For example, the matrices above have dimensions

2 3, 3 3 and 1 4.

Basic Matrix Operations

Addition (or subtraction) of matrices is performed by adding (or subtracting) elements in

corresponding positions. Addition is only valid if the two matrices have the same order.
Examples:
" # " # " # " #
2 4 0 3 4 1 2 + 3 4 + 4 0 + (1) 5 0 1
(i) + = =
1 3 5 7 0 2 1 + 7 3 + 0 5 + (2) 6 3 3
" # " # " # " #
3 4 1 7 31 47 2 3
(ii) = =
2 0 8 1 2 (8) 0 1 6 1
" # " #
2 4 0 3 4
(iii) + cannot be done as the orders are different.
1 3 5 2 0

When a matrix is multiplied by a real number (called a scalar), each element is multiplied by
the scalar. The result is another matrix of the same order.
Examples:

2 1 42 41 8 4
(i) 4 3 9
= 4 3 4 9 = 12 36


0 5 40 4 5 0 20

1h i h i
(ii) 7 8 10 6 0.4 = 3.5 4 5 3 0.2
2
" # " # " # " # " #
5 3 3 4 10 6 9 12 1 18
(iii) 2 3 = =
0 6 1 7 0 12 3 21 3 33
Matrices 2007 Maths IA & IMA Revision/2

When giving matrices a name, use capital letters such as A, B, etc to distinguish them from
algebraic scalars such as a, b, etc.

Exercises
(1) Given that

" # " # " # " # 0 1
1 2 0 7 1 3 1 2 11 5
A= B= C= D= E= 1 0

4 5 3 2 0 6 4 9 0 2

0 3
find the following (if possible):

(a) A+B (b) B + A (c) C +D (d) C D (e) D C

(f) A+E (g) BD (h) 3A (i) 2C + D (j) 5B 4E

Matrix Multiplication

The rule for multiplying matrices can be represented as follows:

row 1 of A col 1 of B row 1 of A col 2 of B row 1 of A col 3 of B ...
row 2 of A col 1 of B row 2 of A col 2 of B row 2 of A col 3 of B ...

AB =

.. .. ..
. . .
where row i of A col j of B is a single number and stands for each entry in row i of A is
multiplied by the corresponding entry in column j of B and the results are added together.
Examples:

" # 4 5 " # " # " #
2 1 3 1 2 1 5 1 0
A= B = 1 2 C =

D= I=
1 4 5 3 4 6 7 0 1
0 3
" #" #
1 2 2 1 3
(i) CA =
3 4 1 4 5
" # " #
1 2 + 2 1 1 (1) + 2 4 1 3 + 2 5 4 7 13
= =
3 2 + 4 1 3 (1) + 4 4 3 3 + 4 5 10 13 29

" # 4 5
2 1 3
(ii) AB = 1 2

1 4 5
0 3
" # " #
2 4 + (1) (1) + 3 0 2 (5) + (1) (2) + 3 3 9 1
= =
14+ 4 (1) + 5 0 1 (5) + 4 (2) + 5 3 0 2

" # 4 5
1 2
(iii) CB = 1 2

3 4
0 3
This is not possible because there are fewer entries in the rows of C (two) than in the
columns of B (three).
Matrices 2007 Maths IA & IMA Revision/3

Matrix multiplication is only defined when the number of columns

in the first matrix equals the number of rows in the second.

" # " #
13 19 16 22
(iv) CD = but DC = so CD 6= DC.
27 43 27 40

In general AB 6= BA for matrices.

" #" # " #

1 2 1 0 11+20 10+21
(v) CI = =
3 4 0 1 31+40 30+41
" #
1 2
= = C (unchanged)
3 4
" #" # " #
1 0 1 2 1 2
(vi) IC = = = C (unchanged)
0 1 3 4 3 4

The matrix I is an identity matrix and is the

matrix equivalent of the number 1 in scalar multiplication.

Notes: 1. The identity is an exception to the general rule for matrix multiplication since
CI = IC = C.

2. Identity matrices only exist for square matrices. The matrix I used in Ex-
amples (v) and (vi) is called the identity

matrix

for a 2 2 matrix. The
1 0 0
identity matrix for a 3 3 matrix is 0 1 0 .

0 0 1

Exercises

" # " # 1 1 2 0 " #
1 0 2 3 1 3 2
A= B= C= 2 D= 0 1 2 E=

1 2 3 1 2 1 7
2 1 3 4

(2) Using the above matrices, calculate the following (if possible):

(a) AB (b) BA (c) DI (d) ID (e) CD

(f) DC (g) BC (h) CB (i) E2 (j) B2

Inverse of a Square Matrix

In scalar algebra, we know that

1
a = aa1 = a1 a = 1 (a 6= 0).
a
We call a1 the multiplicative inverse of a.
Matrices 2007 Maths IA & IMA Revision/4

For square matrices, we define the inverse A1 as having the property that

A A1 = A1 A = I.

The inverse of a 2 2 matrix is found by the formula below.

" #
a b
If A = then
c d
" #
1 d b
A1 =
det(A) c a

where det(A) = |A| = determinant of A = ad bc.

Notes: 1. A1 can not be found by rearrangement (A1 = I A), because division is

not defined for matrices.
2. A matrix has no inverse if its determinant (ad bc) equals 0 (hence the name
determinant).
3. A1 , if it exists, is unique.
" # " # " #
1 2 1 1 4 2 1 4 2
Example: If A = then A = =
3 4 1423 3 1 2 3 1

Check this by calculating AA1 and A1 A to see if both equal I.

" # " # " #" #
1 1 2 1 4 2 1 1 2 4 2
AA = =
3 4 2 3 1 2 3 4 3 1
" # " #
1 2 0 1 0
= = =I
2 0 2 0 1

A1 A = . . . (try this as an exercise).

Exercises
(3) Show that the following pairs of matrices are inverses.
" # " # " # " #
3 4 7 4 3 2 1 2
(a) and (b) and
5 7 5 3 1 1 1 3

1 3 3 7 3 3
(c) 1 3 4 and 1 0 1


1 4 3 1 1 0

(4) Using the formula, find the inverses of the following matrices (if they exist).
" # " # " # " # " # " #
7 18 3 2 2 1 1 6 2 3 2 1 6
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f)
2 8 1 2 4 2 3 4 1 5 3 0 1
Matrices 2007 Maths IA & IMA Revision/5

An application of the inverse: Solving Simultaneous Equations

A pair of simultaneous linear equations such as

x + 2y = 0
x + y = 3

can be written in matrix notation as

" # " # " #
1 2 x 0
=
1 1 y 3
or A X = B.

If a unique solution exists, we can use the inverse matrix to solve the system, as follows:
AX = B
1
A AX = A1 B Note that A1 has been pre-multiplied on both sides.
Since order of multiplication is important, we cant use
BA1 (i.e. post-multiplication) on the RHS since we pre-
multiplied on the LHS.

IX = A1 B since A1 A = I
X = A1 B since IX = X
" # " #
1 2 1 1 1 2
In this example, we have A = and hence A = so
1 1 3 1 1

X = A1"B #" #
1 1 2 0
=
3 1 1 3
" #
1 6
=
3 3
" #
2
=
1

Hence x = 2 and y = 1 is the answer (check by substituting back into the original equations).

Exercises
(5) Rewrite the following pairs of equations in the form of a matrix equation, AX = B, and
solve (if a unique solution exists) using the inverse matrix of A.
(a) x y = 5 (b) 5x + y = 7 (c) x + 2y = 8
x + y = 1 3x 4y = 18 3x + 6y = 15

(d) 2x + 3y = 11
6x + 9y = 33
Matrices 2007 Maths IA & IMA Revision/6

Determinant of a 3 3 matrix

The inverse of a 3 3 matrix can be found using row operations (see revision sheet on Solving
Linear Equations) but the determinant is as follows:

a b c
If A = d e f

then
g h i
     
 e f   d f   d e 
det(A) = |A| = a   b  + c .
     
 h i   g i   g h 

This may seem like a complicated definition but the determinant can be thought of as a first
row expansion, where each entry in the first row is multiplied by the 2 2 determinant
created by removing the row and column containing that entry. Notice also that the signs
connecting the three terms alternate (+, , +).

Examples:
 
 3 2 1       
   0 2   4 2   4 0 
(i)  4 0 2  = 3  2 +  = 3(0 4) 2(12 2) + (8 0) = 24
       
   2 3   1 3   1 2 
 1 2 3 
 
 1 2 0       
   0 2   3 2   3 0 
(ii)  3 0 2  =   2  + 0  = (0 + 4) 2(6 + 4) + 0 = 0
       
 2 2  2 2  2 2
 2 2 2
    


Note: The matrix in Example (ii) has no inverse.

Exercises
(6) Find the following determinants:
       
 1 1 1   1 2 1   3 1 2   3 3 2 
     
(a)  0 2 0  (b)  3 0 1 
(c)  2 1 1  (d)  0 0 0 
 

 1 1 1   1 1
       
 1 1 2   4 2 2  1 

a b c
(7) Show that the upper triangular matrix 0 e f has determinant aei.

0 0 i
Matrices 2007 Maths IA & IMA Revision/7

Answers to Exercises
" # " # " #
6 3 3 12 7 10 3
(1) (a) (b) same as (a) (c) (d)
6 5 9 4 7 4 11
" # " #
10 3 3 6 0
(e) (f) not possible (g) not possible (h)
4 11 12 15 9
" #
13 9
(i) (j) not possible
8 16

" #
2 3 1
(2) (a) (b) not possible (c) D (d) D
8 5 5

3 " #
6
(e) not possible (f) 6 (g) (h) not possible

3
15
" #
11 8
(i) E 2 = EE = (j) not possible
4 51

2 9
10
" # " #
1 8 18 5 1 2 2
(4) (a) or (b)
20 2 7 1
10 7 4 1 3
20
" #
1 4 6
(c) determinant = 0 so no inverse exists (d)
14 3 1
" #
1 5 3
(e) (f) no inverse as the matrix is not square
13 1 2

(5) (a) x = 3, y = 2 (b) x = 2, y = 3

(c) no solution (det(A) = 0). (The lines are parallel.)
(d) no unique solution (det(A) = 0). (The two equations represent the same line since
3(2x + 3y = 11) gives 6x + 9y = 33.)

(6) (a) 2 (b) 0 (c) 9 (d) 0