Understanding the Permitted Use of Double Summation in Math

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SUMMARY

The discussion clarifies the permitted use of double summation in mathematical expressions involving indexed variables. It specifically addresses the expression \(\sum_{j=1}^n \sum_{k=1}^n a_{ik}b_{kj}\) and explains that the original formulation is incorrect due to improper summation order. The correct approach involves rearranging the summation to \(\sum_{k=1}^n \sum_{j=1}^n a_{ik}b_{kj}\), which maintains the integrity of the summation and results in a valid conclusion of 1.

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If I know that [itex]\sum_{k=1}^n a_{ik} = 1[/itex] and [itex]\sum_{j=1}^n b_{kj} = 1[/itex], why is the following permitted?

[tex]\sum_{j=1}^n \sum_{k=1}^n a_{ik}b_{kj} = \left(\sum_{j=1}^n b_{kj}\right) \left(\sum_{k=1}^n a_{ik}\right) = 1\cdot 1 = 1[/tex]


Thanks!
 
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It's not permitted. What you wrote makes no sense since you sum over k and one of the [itex]b_{kj}[/itex] is outside that sum. That is not allowed.

What you could do is:

[tex]\sum_{j=1}^n\sum_{k=1}^n a_{ik}b{kj}= \sum_{k=1}^n \sum_{j=1}^n a_{ik}b_{kj} = \sum_{k=1}^n \left(a_{ik} \sum_{j=1}^n b_{kj}\right)= \sum_{k=1}^n a_{ik}=1[/tex]
 
Thank you very much. I knew I wasn't understanding something.
 

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