Inverse Matrices
Matrices: Inverse Definition
• The inverse of a square matrix A, if it exists, is another matrix B such that
AB=BA=I
For convenience B is usually represented as A -1 . Even though order is
important in matrix multiplication, the inverse matrix is independent of the order
of multiplication. Some properties of inverse A:
1. A -1 exists only if A is nonsingular - that is | A | ≠ 0
Note: | A | is defined as the determinant of A.
2. If A -1 exists then it is unique.
The inverse A -1 is obtained by replacing the elements aij of A with the
cofactor of aij- that is Aij ,transposing the resulting matrix, and finally dividing
by | A| .
• The Identity Matrix In is the n × n matrix for which each main diagonal entry is a
1 and for which all other entries are 0.
⎡1 0 0⎤
⎡1 0 ⎤
I2 = ⎢ ⎥ 2 × 2 Identity matrix I 3 = ⎢⎢0 1 0⎥⎥3 × 3 Identity Matrix
⎣ 0 1 ⎦
⎣⎢0 0 1⎦⎥
• “Not every square matrix has an inverse. The following rule provides a simple
way for calculating the inverse of a 2 × 2 matrix, when it exists.”
Note: For larger matrices, there is a more general procedure.
Inverse of a 2 × 2 Matrix,
Determinant
⎡a b ⎤ 1 ⎡ d − b⎤
If A = ⎢ ⎥ Then, A −1 = .
⎣c d ⎦ ad − bc ⎢⎣− c a ⎥⎦
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Example: Find the inverse of the 2 × 2 Matrix and verify that A A-1 = A-1 A = I2
Let
⎡4 5⎤
A= ⎢ ⎥
⎣2 3⎦
Solution: Apply the formula for finding the inverse of a 2 × 2 Matrix.
Step 1: Find A-1
1 ⎡ 3 − 5⎤
A −1 =
4 ⋅ 3 − 5 ⋅ 2 ⎢⎣− 2 4 ⎥⎦
3 − 5⎤
1 ⎡ 3 − 5⎤ ⎡
= ⎢ = ⎢ 2 ⎥
2 ⎣− 2 4 ⎥⎦ ⎢− 1 2 ⎥
2
⎣ ⎦
-1 -1
Step 2: Verify that A A = A A = I2
⎡ 3 5 ⎤
⎡ 4 5 ⎤ ⎡ 3 − 5 ⎤ ⎢4 ⋅ + 5(−1) 4(− ) + 5 ⋅ 2⎥ ⎡1 0⎤
2 2
A A-1= ⎢ ⎥⎢ 2 2 ⎥=⎢ 3 ⎥=⎢ ⎥
⎣ 2 3 ⎦ ⎣− 1 2 ⎦ ⎢ 2 ⋅ + 3(−1) 2(− 5 ) + 3 ⋅ 2⎥ ⎣0 1⎦
⎢ ⎥
⎣ 2 2 ⎦
⎡3 5⎤ ⎡3 5 3 5 ⎤
− ⎥ ⎡4 5⎤ ⎢ ⋅ 4 + (− ) ⋅ 2 ⋅ 5 + (− ) ⋅ 3⎥ ⎡1 0⎤
A −1 A = ⎢ 2 2 ⎢ ⎥ = 2 2 2 2 =⎢ ⎥
⎢− 1 2 ⎥ ⎣2 3⎦ ⎢ (−1) ⋅ 4 + 2 ⋅ 2 (−1) ⋅ 5 + 2 ⋅ 3 ⎥ ⎣0 1⎦
⎣ ⎦ ⎣ ⎦
• Inverse of n × n Matrices
“For 3× 3 and larger square matrices, the following technique provides the
most efficient way to calculate their inverses.”
⎡ a11 a12 L a1n 1 0 L 0⎤
⎢a a 22 L a2n 0 1 L 0⎥⎥
⎢ 21
⎢ M M O M M M O M⎥
⎢ ⎥
⎣ a n1 a n 2 L a nn 0 0 L 1⎦
Note: Use the elementary row operations on this new large matrix to change the
left side into the identity matrix. The right side will be a transformed
automatically into A-1.
⎡ 1 − 2 − 4⎤
Example: Find the inverse of a 3× 3 Matrix. Let A = ⎢⎢ 2 − 3 − 6⎥⎥
⎢⎣− 3 6 15 ⎥⎦
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Solution: Begin with the 3× 6 matrix whose left half is A and whose right half is the
identity matrix.
⎡ 1 − 2 − 4 1 0 0⎤
⎢ 2 − 3 − 6 0 1 0⎥
⎢ ⎥
⎢⎣− 3 6 15 0 0 1⎥⎦
Transform the left half of this new matrix into the identity matrix by performing the
following sequence of elementary row operations.
⎯ −⎯
2 R1 + R2 → R2
⎯⎯ ⎯→ ⎡1 − 2 − 4 1 0 0 ⎤
⎢0 1 2 − 2 1 0⎥⎥
R3 + R3 → R3
⎯3⎯ ⎯⎯ ⎯→ ⎢
⎢⎣0 0 3 3 0 1⎥⎦
1 ⎡ ⎤
R3 ⎢1 − 2 − 4 1 0 0 ⎥
⎯ ⎯→
⎯ 3
⎢0 1 2 − 2 1 0⎥
⎢ 1⎥
⎢0 0 1 1 0 ⎥
⎣ 3⎦
⎡ ⎤
2R2 + R1→R1 ⎢1 0 0 − 3 2 0 ⎥
⎯⎯⎯⎯→ ⎢0 1 2 − 2 1 0 ⎥
⎢ 1⎥
⎢0 0 1 1 0 ⎥
⎣ 3⎦
⎡ ⎤
⎢1 0 0 − 3 2 0 ⎥
R3 +R2→R2
⎯2⎯ ⎯⎯ ⎯→ ⎢
⎢0 1 0 − 4 1
− 2⎥
⎥
⎢ 3 ⎥
⎢0 0 1 1 0 1 ⎥
⎣⎢ 3 ⎦⎥
⎡ ⎤
⎢1 0 0 − 3 2 0 ⎥
⎢ − 2⎥
Hence, the Inverse Matrix is: A-1 = ⎢0 1 0 − 4 1 ⎥
⎢ 3 ⎥
⎢0 0 1 1 0 1 ⎥
⎢⎣ 3 ⎥⎦
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