Insert Expletives Here
Tue Apr 04 2006

OK, I have been working on the same math problems since Saturday, and am no closer now to the correct answer than I was then.

On the off chance anyone out there knows how to do this stuff, I’m currently working on the Inverse of a Matrix (the class is Linear Algebra for anyone who is curious.).

The first problem I have looks easy on the onset, but it is anything but as I have found so far. With the initial matrix of:
0 3 3
1 2 3
1 4 6

I know that I tag on the Identity matrix to this but I can’t find anywhere that tells me whether or not I should switch the top row with the second row in order to have a 1 in the top left corner (which was part of an earlier lesson on reducing the echelon of a matrix). Depending on whether or not I do that, I will either have:
0 3 3 1 0 0
1 2 3 0 1 0
1 4 6 0 0 1

or:
1 2 3 1 0 0
0 3 3 0 1 0
1 4 6 0 0 1

I’ve tried working the problem both ways several times, and I am never able to come up with the correct answer, which is supposed to be: (warning: I can't make this look square, no matter how much I play with it, so use your imagination to line up the numbers vertically)
0 2 -1
1 1 -1
-2/3 -1 1


I’m SO glad this is my last math class. I just hope I can catch on to what I’m supposed to be learning soon!



Yippie!

The annoying neighbors across the street moved & now we're getting a family looking at the house that has kids about the ages of my boys. I'll keep my fingers crossed that we get a family in there with kids that are closer in age to the twins.
The neighborhood is full of kids #3's age, but there are very few that are the twins age.


Insert More Expletives Here

In response to Yetzirah's comment, with the help of a math e-mail group I'm on I did get the answer to the above question. Now I'm working on another one I've been dabbling with for the last couple days when I got frustrated with the above problem.
The problem facing me now is:
1 2 3
2 5 3
1 0 8

From there I add the Identity matrix onto the end of it to get:
1 2 3 1 0 0
2 5 3 0 1 0
1 0 8 0 0 1

I know the answer is supposed to be (again, use your imagination to make it a square block):
-40 16 9
13 5 -3
5 -2 -1

I'm going to go hide my head in the sand for a while. When I'm not stressing over this any more I'll come back to it.

10 Comments
  • From:
    Pragmatist (Legacy)
    On:
    Tue Apr 04 2006
    When it comes to math, I'm a dud beyond elementary stuff. I squeezed thru algebra and was thankful for the barely acceptable grade I got.

    Shalom
  • From:
    JustPeachy (Legacy)
    On:
    Tue Apr 04 2006
    Nope, I am not much help either. But I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that you only use the expletives in your mind and not your mouth! LOL!! Hang in there!
  • From:
    Yetzirah (Legacy)
    On:
    Tue Apr 04 2006
    Oh dear.

    They GIVE you the answer and you are supposed to figure out how they go there?

    That is just so WRONG.

    And MEAN too.

    My condolences.
  • From:
    Yetzirah (Legacy)
    On:
    Tue Apr 04 2006
    And here I thought you had solved your math problem...

    Sigh.
  • From:
    Waterspriteflying (Legacy)
    On:
    Tue Apr 04 2006
    eeeps. Wish I could help, but....

    Good luck! (Because I can't offer anything more than that, :oP )

    Hugs,
    Ani
  • From:
    FutureCat (Legacy)
    On:
    Tue Apr 04 2006
    I'm not promising anything, because I'm really busy at the moment, but if I get a few minutes free today I'll try and remember how to do inverse matrices and see if I can help you out...

    ^ ^
    00
    =+=
    v
  • From:
    Welshamethyst (Legacy)
    On:
    Tue Apr 04 2006
    The answer is '2' and I'm sticking to it! *giggles madly*
  • From:
    InStitches (Legacy)
    On:
    Wed Apr 05 2006
    I'm not at all good with numbers, but I am fairly well versed in expletives. Perhaps I could help with that.

    *-^#!
    (<%+x
    &x*=!

    Just use your imagination as to its meaning. :)
  • From:
    MizzM (Legacy)
    On:
    Wed Apr 05 2006
    Your posts are making my head hurt. The only math I do anymore is the math Excel can do for me. (Sum, count, average, maximum, minimum--yeah, that pretty much takes care of my needs and still earns me a performance award every year!)
  • From:
    PixieKitten (Legacy)
    On:
    Wed Apr 05 2006
    Can't help on the math front (for some reaosn people think us accountants can do math! HA!) but considering I swear well in four languages, let me know if you run out of creative expletives!

    -pk-