- #1
icesalmon
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- 13
Homework Statement
Solve the following system using Gauss-Jordan Elimination
x - y + 2z - w = -1
2x + y - 2z - 2w = -2
-x + 2y - 4z + w = 1
3x + 0y + 0z - 3w = -3
The Attempt at a Solution
I first wanted to ask what the difference between Gauss Jordan Elimination and Gaussian Elimination was.
none of the equations are homogeneous and it has an equal number of unknowns and equations so I can rule out that it may have infinitely many solutions.
The answer was written in parametric form as the following:
x = t - 1
y = 2s
z = s
w= t
Which I also don't understand, what's the point of writing the answers in parametric form if it doesn't have infinitely many solutions, perhaps it does? Rather, in general, what's the point of writing the solutions of a system of equations in parametric form? I remember from Calculus that it gave a sort of orientation or direction of movement to functions. But in this sense is it the same or even similar?
I am very rusty with systems as trivial as they may be at first, and I'm only a week into my Linear Algebra course, so it would be helpful to get the ball rolling on some of these things.
Thanks, Icesalmon