- #1
Hertz
- 180
- 8
Hi, I've been running into a problem lately where I have a system of equations that needs to be solved or I need to do some other sort of matrix algebra, but the components of the matrix that I am trying to perform row operations on have unknowns in them.
Specifically, I was working with a matrix who's components were all Kronecker Delta symbols. This was a problem because I didn't know which components were 1 and which components were 0, as it was not possible for them ALL to equal one or the other. Trying to put this matrix in RREF was troubling because I am not able to divide by the Kronecker Delta symbols as there is a large chance that they are zero. If I ignore this fact and solve traditionally anyways, I end up with rational answers that have delta symbols in the denominator, which is obviously not allowed.
So, I guess what I'm trying to ask is how do you reduce a matrix with unknown components? The traditional method of row operations does not work if there is a chance that these unknowns are equal to zero.
(I know you don't divide by rows in row operations. The problem is when you try to make the first non-zero component in a row equal to one, because you have to divide by its magnitude.)
Specifically, I was working with a matrix who's components were all Kronecker Delta symbols. This was a problem because I didn't know which components were 1 and which components were 0, as it was not possible for them ALL to equal one or the other. Trying to put this matrix in RREF was troubling because I am not able to divide by the Kronecker Delta symbols as there is a large chance that they are zero. If I ignore this fact and solve traditionally anyways, I end up with rational answers that have delta symbols in the denominator, which is obviously not allowed.
So, I guess what I'm trying to ask is how do you reduce a matrix with unknown components? The traditional method of row operations does not work if there is a chance that these unknowns are equal to zero.
(I know you don't divide by rows in row operations. The problem is when you try to make the first non-zero component in a row equal to one, because you have to divide by its magnitude.)