Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2007/ia/paper-1/2b/i/solution

The coefficient matrix has determinant
A square linear system has a unique solution for every right-hand side precisely when its coefficient matrix is an invertible matrix. Here a unique solution exists exactly when , for every real .
For an explicit Gaussian elimination, subtract twice the second equation from the third, then use the second equation, obtaining and . The first equation determines
and the preceding formulas determine . When this last coefficient vanishes; the next parts determine compatibility rather than dividing by zero.

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