Linear algebra
Definition. Let M={1,2,…,m} and N={1,2,…,n}. A map
,
is
called a matrix of type
with m rows and n columns:
and we write
for the set of matrices of type
with complex
entries.
If
then the matrix is called square of order
, and the set of
such matrices is written
.
Operations with matrices:
- Addition
Let
, then
where
![]()
is their sum.
Properties,
:
-
(commutativity); -
(associativity); -
(the identity element is the zero matrix ); -
(the opposite of
is
).
- Multiplication by scalars
Let
and
, then
, where
![]()
is the product of the matrix A with the scalar
.
Properties,
and :
-
;
-
; -
; -
;-
The transpose of a matrix A=
with m rows and n columns
is a matrix written
with n rows and m columns, where
bij = aij, 
- Matrix multiplication
-
Let
and
, then
, where
,
is their product.
Properties:
-
(associativity); -
(identity element). The identity matrix
in
; -
-
.
Determinants
Let
be the set of square matrices of order n with entries in
:
, ![]()
The determinant of the order-2 matrix
is
=a11a22 – a12a21.
The determinant of the order-3 matrix A=
is the number
=
.
The rule of minors, or expanding the determinant along a row or column.
Choose a row or a column and multiply each entry aij of that row or
column by the lower-order determinant obtained by deleting row i and column
j, and by (-1)i+j; adding the resulting products gives the value
of the determinant. 
Properties of determinants:
- The determinant of a matrix equals the determinant of its transpose.
-
A matrix with a row (or column) whose entries are all 0 has determinant 0.
-
If all entries of a row (or column) of a matrix are multiplied by a number, the value of the determinant is multiplied by that number.
-
If to all entries of a row (respectively column) we add the corresponding entries of another row (respectively column) multiplied by a number, the value of the determinant does not change.
-
If a matrix has two proportional rows (respectively columns), then the determinant is zero.
-
If two rows (or two columns) of a square matrix are interchanged, the value of the determinant is multiplied by -1.
-
The determinant of the product of two matrices of the same order equals the product of the determinants of those matrices.
- If a row (respectively column) of the determinant of a matrix is a linear combination of the other rows (respectively columns), that determinant is zero.
The value of the determinant of the matrix associated with a system determines whether the system is consistent: if ≠0, the system is consistent with a unique solution; if =0, then the system may be inconsistent or consistent and indeterminate.
Linear systems
We write
for the coefficients, for the unknowns, for the
constant terms, for the number of equations, for the number of
unknowns, r for the rank of the matrix A or the rank of the system, and
for the augmented matrix.
A system is consistent with a unique solution if:
-
r=m=n and ;
-
r=n<m
.
A system is consistent and indeterminate if:
-
r=m<n;
-
r<min(m,n) and

A system is inconsistent if and
Cramer's method.
Let S be a linear system with unknowns xi and its
determinant. Suppose ≠0 and r=m=n. Write
for the determinant
obtained from by replacing the column of coefficients of the unknown
xi with the column of constant terms.
The solution of the linear system
is x1 =
and
x2=
.
, 
The solution of the linear system
is x1=
,
x2=
and x3=
.
The solution of the system
is x1=
,
x2=
, x3=
and x4=
.
A homogeneous linear system has all determinants
zero; it therefore always
admits at least the zero solution
(x1,x2,x3)=(0,0,0). Such a system also
admits non-zero solutions if =0.
Systems of homogeneous equations
Such a system has the form:

Suppose
; in this case we multiply the first equation and add it to the
second so as to obtain an equivalent system of the form:

Since
the system does not have the solution and . We divide
the second equation by
and obtain the second-degree equation in
:
which, by the substitution
, gives:
. Solving this
equation generally gives two values
, that is
and
.
Solving the original system is equivalent to solving the following two systems:
and 
Systems of symmetric equations
An equation in two unknowns is called symmetric if replacing by and by leaves the equation unchanged.

Systems of symmetric equations are solved as follows: introduce the auxiliary unknowns and given by the relations and .
By introducing these new unknowns and , in very many cases the original system reduces to a system consisting of one first-degree equation and one second-degree equation in the unknowns and .
Once the unknowns and have been found, one forms the equation
Since the system considered is symmetric in and , the solution set of the system is:
if
, or
if
.
The inverse of a matrix
Let A be a square matrix of order n with coefficients in . The
matrix A is invertible if and only if detA≠0. The inverse of the matrix A
is A-1=
, where A* is obtained by replacing
each entry of the transposed matrix
with its cofactor
, 1*≤i≤n,*
1*≤j≤m*, where
is the minor of the entry
of
(the
determinant obtained from
by deleting row i and column j).
- the identity matrix.
Matrix equations
A linear system can be expressed in matrix form as: AX=B, where A is the matrix of coefficients of the unknowns, X is the matrix of unknowns (a column matrix) and B is the matrix of constant terms (a column matrix). If the matrix is invertible we have
X=A-1B.
If the matrix A
is not zero, there is a natural number
r≤min{m,n} such that at least one minor of order r (formed at the
intersection of r rows and r columns of the matrix) is non-zero, while all
determinants of order greater than r (if any) are zero. This number r is
called the rank of the matrix.
The rank of a matrix is unchanged if:
-
A multiple of one row (column) is added to another row (column);
-
Rows (columns) are interchanged.
The Kronecker–Capelli theorem. A system of linear equations is consistent if and only if the rank of the system matrix equals the rank of the augmented matrix, formed from the system matrix with the column of constant terms added.
Rouché's theorem. A system of linear equations is consistent if and only if all the characteristic determinants are zero. The characteristic determinants are obtained by adding a row and a column from the augmented matrix to a minor with non-zero determinant.
The matrix of rotations in the plane.
Let . The rotation with centre O through an angle of measure is
the geometric transformation , and
, with the property that
and the measure of the angle
is .
The analytic description of the rotation is given by the relations:
.
With these, the rotation is the function
,
where
are given by the relations above. The matrix associated with the linear map
is: