UNIT – 1

LECTURE-4 Linear Algebra

Rank of Matrix
and
Rank of Matrix by using
Elementary Transformations
(Echelon Form)
 DEFINITION
 Let A be any m×n matrix. It has square sub-
matrices of different order
 The determinants of these square sub matrices
are called minors of A.
 A matrix A is said to be of rank r if
(i) It has at least one non zero minor of order r
(ii) All the minor of order (r+1) or higher than r
are zero.
 Symbolically , rank of A is written as ρ(A) = r
Some Results on Rank of the Matrix
 Method 01
 Start with the highest order minor of A. Let their
order be r. If any one of them is non zero, then
ρ(A)= r.
 If all of them are zero ,start with minors of next
lower order (r-1) and so on till you get a non zero
minor.
 The order of that minor is the rank of A.
 OTHER METHODS OF FINDINGS RANK
Rank of a matrix by triangular form or Echelon Form
[Rank of a matrix= No. of non-zero rows in upper triangular matrix]
Echelon Form or Row echelon form
In this form of matrix, each of the first ‘r’ elements of the leading diagonal are non
zero and every element below this diagonal / rth row is zero.

Normal Form (Canonical form):

By performing elementary transformation, any non-zero matrix A can be reduced
to one of the following four forms, called the normal forms of A.
I r  I r 0
(i) I r, (ii)  I r , 0 , (iii)  0 , (iv) 0 0 
  

The number r so obtained is called the rank of A and we write  ( A)  r . The

I r 0
form  0 0  is called the canonical form.
 Method 02

Echelon form method:

 The “triangular” matrices such as

are in echelon form. In fact, the second matrix is in reduced

echelon form.

 Each matrix is row equivalent to one and only one

reduced echelon matrix
 Echelon form method:
In this method the rank of the matrix is equal to the no. of
non-zero rows when it has been reduced to Echelon form.

Example:
Non zero row
Non zero row

zero row

Here, no. of non-zero rows is 2. So

rank of the matrix = 2.
Reduced row echelon form
A matrix is said to be in reduced row echelon form when it is in row echelon form and
its basic columns are vectors of the standard basis (i.e., vectors having one entry equal
to 1 and all the other entries equal to 0).
When the coefficient matrix of a linear system is in reduced row echelon form, it is
straightforward to derive the solutions of the system from the coefficient matrix and the
vector of constants.

A matrix is in row echelon form if and only if:

• all its non-zero rows have an entry, called pivot, that is non-zero and has only zero
entries below it and to its left;
• zero-rows (if there are any) are below the non-zero rows.

When a column of a matrix in row echelon form contains a pivot, it is called a basic
column. When it does not contain a pivot, we say that it is a non-basic column.

Definition: We say that a matrix is in reduced row echelon form if and only if it is in
row echelon form, all its pivots are equal to 1 and the pivots are the only non-zero
entries of the basic columns.
Example 1: The matrix

is in reduced row echelon form. It has one zero row (the third), which is below the non-
zero rows. The first and the second row are non-zero, but have a pivot (a11 and a23,
respectively).
The two pivots are equal to 1 and they are the only non-zero entries in their respective
columns.
Example 2: The matrix

is in row echelon form because both of its rows have a pivot. However, it is not in reduced
row echelon form because there is a non-zero entry in the column of the pivot a23.
 Numerical Problems
EXAMPLE:
Find the rank of the matrix.

Solution: R2→R2-R1
& R3 → R3-2R1 
is equivalent to

R3 → R3-R2 

No of non zero rows =2 › ∴ hence rank of (A)= 2

EXAMPLE:

Solution:
Column 1 Column 2 Column 3
3-2(-1)=5 -1-2(-2)=3 -1-2(-4)=7
1-3(-1)=4 3-3(-2)=9 -2-3(-4)=10
3-6(-1)=9 0-6(-2)=12 -7-6(-4)=17
Some definitions
A pivot position in a matrix A is a location in A that corresponds to
a leading 1 in the reduced echelon form of A.
A pivot column is a column of A that contains a pivot position.
The combination of steps Steps which produces
which produces row reduction the unique reduced
is called the forward phase of echelon form, is called
the algorithm. the backward phase.
 5 3 14 4
Example: Find the rank of A  0 1 2 1  by reducing it to Echelon
 
1 1 2 0 
form.
Solution:
R1  R3
5 3 14 4 1 1 2 0
A  0 1 2 1    0 1 2 1  ,
We have
1 1 2 0  1 8 4 4 
1
R3   R3
12 R1  R1  5 R3
  0 8 4 4 
1 1 0
 0 1 2 1  ,
2
 
A  0 1 2 1,
 1 1 1 2 0 
0 0 1 
 3
R3  R3  8 R2
1 1 2 0
Non zero rows
A  0 1 2 1  ,
0 0 12 4 
EXAMPLE:

SOLUTION:
EXAMPLE:

a)

b)

c)
Solution:
Solution:
Solution:
 Home Work

3. Find rank by using row reduced Echelon form

Ans. 2
 3 𝑃 𝑃
8. Find the value of P for which the matrix 𝐴 = 𝑃 3 𝑃 is of rank 1.
𝑃 𝑃 3