Linear Algebra and Its Applications

Sixth Edition, Global Edition

Chapter 1
Linear Equations
in Linear Algebra

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Section 1.3: Vector Equations

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Vector Equations (1 of 3)
2
Vectors in
• A matrix with only one column is called a column vector,
or simply a vector.
• An example of a vector with two entries is
 w1 
w =  ,
 w2 
where w1 and w2 are any real numbers.
• The set of all vectors with 2 entries is denoted by 𝑅 2
(read “r-two”).
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Vector Equations (2 of 3)
• The 𝑅 stands for the real numbers that appear as entries in
the vector, and the exponent 2 indicates that each vector
contains 2 entries.
• Two vectors in 𝑅2 are equal if and only if their corresponding
entries are equal.
• Given two vectors u and v in 𝑅2 their sum is the vector u + v
obtained by adding corresponding entries of u and v.
• Given a vector u and a real number c, the scalar multiple of u
by c is the vector cu obtained by multiplying each entry in u by
c.

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Vector Equations (3 of 3)
 1  2
• Example 1: Given u =   and v =   , find
 −2   −5 
4u, ( −3) v, and 4u + ( −3) v.

 4  −6 
Solution: 4u =   , (−3) v =   and
 −8  15
 4   −6   −2 
4u + (−3) v =   +   =  
 −8  15  7 

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Geometric Descriptions of Double
Lined R Squared
• Consider a rectangular coordinate system in the plane.
Because each point in the plane is determined by an
ordered pair of numbers, we can identify a geometric
a 
point (a, b) with the column vector   .
b
• So we may regard 𝑅 2 as the set of all points in the plane.

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Parallelogram Rule For Addition
• If u and v in 𝑅 2 are represented as points in the plane,
then u + v corresponds to the fourth vertex of the
parallelogram whose other vertices are u, 0, and v. See
the figure below.

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Vectors In Double Lined R Cube and
Double Lined R to the n Power
• Vectors in 𝑅3 are 3 × 1 column matrices with three entries.
• They are represented geometrically by points in a three-
dimensional coordinate space, with arrows from the origin.
• If n is a positive integer, 𝑅𝑛 (read “r-n”) denotes the
collection of all lists (or ordered n-tuples) of n real
numbers, usually written as n 1 column matrices, such as
 u1 
u 
u =  2 .
 
 
un 

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Algebraic Properties Of Double Lined R
to the n Power
• The vector whose entries are all zero is called the zero vector
and is denoted by 0.
• For all u, v, w in 𝑅 𝑛 and all scalars c and d:
(i ) u + v = v + u
( ii ) (u + v) + w = u + (v + w)
( iii ) u + 0 = 0 + u = u
( iv ) u + ( −u) = 0
where − u denotes ( −1) u
( v ) c(u + v) = cu + cv
( vi ) (c + d )u = cu + du
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Linear Combinations (1 of 8)
( vii ) c(du)=(cd )(u)
( viii ) 1u = u

• Given vectors v1 , v2 , … , vp in 𝑅𝑛 and given scalars c1 , c2 , , cp ,

the vector y defined by
y = c1 v1 + ... + c p v p

is called a linear combination of v1 , , v p with weights c1 , , cp .

• The weights in a linear combination can be any real numbers,

including zero.

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Linear Combinations (2 of 8)
 1 2  7
• Example 2: Let a1 =  −2  , a 2 =  5 and b =  4  .
     
 −5  6   −3
Determine whether b can be generated (or written) as a
linear combination of a1 and a 2 . That is, determine
whether weights x1 and x2 exist such that
x1a1 + x2a 2 = b - - - (1)
If vector equation (1) has a solution, find it.

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Linear Combinations (3 of 8)
Solution: Use the definitions of scalar multiplication and
vector addition to rewrite the vector equation

which is same as  x1   2 x2   7 
 −2 x  +  5 x  =  4  .
 1
  2  
 −5 x1   6 x2   −3

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Linear Combinations (4 of 8)
 x1 + 2 x2   7 
and  −2 x1 + 5 x2  =  4  . - - - (2)
   
 −5 x1 + 6 x2   −3
• The vectors on the left and right sides of (2) are equal if and only if their
corresponding entries are both equal. That is, x1 and x2 make the

vector equation (1) true if and only if x1 and x2 satisfy the following
system.
x1 + 2 x2 = 7
−2 x1 + 5 x2 = 4 - - - ( 3)
−5 x1 + 6 x2 = −3

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Linear Combinations (5 of 8)
• To solve this system, row reduce the augmented matrix of
the system as follows.
 1 2 7 1 2 7 1 2 7  1 0 3
 −2 5 4 0 9 18 0 1 2 0 1 2 
       
 −5 6 −3  0 16 32  0 16 32  0 0 0 

• The solution of (3) is x1 = 3 and x2 = 2. Hence b is a linear

combination of a1 and a 2 , with weights x1 = 3 and x2 = 2.
That is,  1 2  7 
3  −2  + 2  5 =  4  .
     
 −5  6   −3

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Linear Combinations (6 of 8)
• Now, observe that the original vectors a1 , a 2 , and b are
the columns of the augmented matrix that we row reduced:

• Write this matrix in a way that identifies its columns.

a 1
a2 b - - - ( 4)

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Linear Combinations (7 of 8)
• A vector equation
x1a1 + x2a 2 + ... + xna n = b
has the same solution set as the linear system whose
augmented matrix is
a1
a2 an b . - - - (5)

• In particular, b can be generated by a linear combination of

a1 , , a n if and only if there exists a solution to the linear
system corresponding to the matrix (5).

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Linear Combinations (8 of 8)
• Definition: If v1 , v2 , … , vp are in 𝑅𝑛 then the set of all linear

combinations of v1 , , v p is denoted by Span {v1 , , v p}

and is called the subset of 𝑅𝑛 spanned (or generated)
by v1 , , v p . That is, Span {v1 , , v p } is the collection of
all vectors that can be written in the form
c1 v1 + c2 v 2 + ... + c p v p
with c1 , , c p scalars.

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A Geometric Description Of Span {V}
• Let v be a nonzero vector in 𝑅3 Then Span {v} is the set
of all scalar multiples of v, which is the set of points on the
line in 𝑅3 through v and 0. See the figure below.

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A Geometric Description Of Span {U, V}
3
• If u and v are nonzero vectors in 𝑅 with v not a multiple of u,
then Span {u, v} is the plane in 𝑅3 that contains u, v, and 0.
• In particular, Span {u, v} contains the line in 𝑅3 through u and
0 and the line through v and 0. See the figure below.

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