2.5 Inverse Matrices - MIT Mathematics（2.5逆矩阵-麻省理工学院数学）.pdfVIP

2.5. Inverse Matrices 81 2.5 Inverse Matrices Suppose A is a square matrix. We look for an “inverse matrix” A1 of the same size, such that A1 times A equals I . Whatever A does, A1 undoes. Their product is the identity matrix—which does nothing to a vector, so A1Ax D x . But A1 might not exist. What a matrix mostly does is to multiply a vector x . Multiplying Ax D b by A 1 gives A1Ax D A1b. This is x D A1b. The product A1A is like multiplying by a number and then dividing by that number. A number has an inverse if it is not zero— matrices are more complicated and more interesting. The matrix A1 is called “A inverse.” DEFINITION The matrix A is invertible if there exists a matrix A1 such that A1A D I and AA1 D I: (1) Not all matrices have inverses . This is the first question we ask about a square matrix: Is A invertible? We don’t mean that we immediately calculate A1. In most problems we never compute it! Here are six “notes” about A1. Note 1 The inverse exists if and only if elimination produces n pivots (row exchanges 1 are allowed). Elimination solves Ax D b without explicitly using the matrix A . Note 2 The matrix A cannot have two different inverses. Suppose BA D I and also AC D I . Then B D C , according to this “proof by parentheses”: B.AC / D .BA/C gives BI D IC or B D C: (2) This shows that a left-inverse B (multiplying from the left) and a right-inverse C (multi- plying A from the right to give AC D I ) must be the same matrix. Note 3 If A is invertible, the one and only solution to Ax D b is x D A1b: Multiply Ax D b by A1: Then x D A1Ax D A1b: Note 4 (