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A stationary iterative method for a linear system converges to its specified fixed point for every initial vector if and only if its iteration matrix satisfies $\rho (H)<1$, where the spectral radius is the largest modulus of an eigenvalue.^[ref]

For a diagonalizable matrix, write $H=V\Lambda V^{-1}$. Then $H^k=V{\Lambda }^k{V}^{-1}$, so each eigenvector coefficient tends to zero exactly when its eigenvalue has modulus less than one. For a general matrix, the Jordan normal form gives the same result: a Jordan block $J=\lambda I+K$ with a nilpotent matrix $K$ of size $m$ satisfiesIf $0<|\lambda |<1$, every coefficient tends to zero because exponential decay beats any fixed polynomial in $k$; if $\lambda =0$, the block vanishes once $k\ge m$. Conversely, an eigenvector with $|\lambda |\ge 1$ provides an initial error that cannot tend to zero. For a real matrix with complex eigenvalues, the same obstruction appears in the real invariant subspace spanned by the real and imaginary parts of an eigenvector.

The words "every initial vector" matter. For example, $H=\mathrm{diag}(3/2,1/2)$ fails the criterion, but $e^{(0)}=(0,1{)}^T$ still tends to zero. Here a generic initial error has a nonzero first coordinate and diverges; the exceptional errors lie on the second coordinate axis. With $H=\mathrm{diag}(-1,1/2)$, generic errors oscillate rather than diverge in norm, while the same exceptional axis still converges. Both are valid matrix splittings with $M=I$ and $A=I-H$. In general the convergent errors form the direct sum of the generalized eigenspaces for $|\lambda |<1$; if $\rho (H)\ge 1$, this is a proper linear subspace.

A small spectral radius describes eventual convergence, but does not imply that the Euclidean norm of the error decreases on every step for a non-normal matrix. An operator norm bound $\Vert H\Vert <1$ does give the stepwise estimate $\Vert e^{(k)}\Vert \le \Vert H{\Vert }^k\Vert e^{(0)}\Vert$. For a real symmetric matrix, the matrix 2-norm equals its spectral radius, making this particularly direct.

A strictly diagonally dominant matrix or a real symmetric positive-definite matrix guarantees convergence of the Gauss-Seidel method from every initial vector. These are sufficient conditions.^[ref]

For strict diagonal dominance, putInduct through a sweep. Old coordinates have absolute error at most $E$; previously updated coordinates have absolute error at most $qE\le E$. The component update and the triangle inequality therefore bound the new error by $qE$. This proves $\Vert e^{(k+1)}{\Vert }_{\infty }\le q\Vert e^{(k)}{\Vert }_{\infty }$, a maximum norm contraction.

For a symmetric positive-definite matrix, write $A=D+L+L^T$. The Householder-John theorem applies to $M=D+L$ and $N=-L^T$, because $M^T+N=D$ is a positive-definite matrix. Hence the iteration matrix has spectral radius less than one, which gives the convergence criterion for a stationary iteration.

There is also a geometric reason fresh updates help: the Gauss-Seidel method is exact coordinate descent on the convex quadratic functionHolding the other coordinates fixed, minimizing in coordinate $i$ gives the corresponding row update. A change ${\delta }_i$ lowers $F$ by exactly $a_{ii}{\delta }_i^2/2$. Each fresh coordinate is therefore the minimizer for the current vector, and a complete sweep lowers the quadratic form error unless every coordinate already solves its row. This explains the method's beauty without implying monotone decrease in every vector norm.

With $A=D+L+U$, the Gauss-Seidel method solves $(D+L)x^{(k+1)}=b-U{x}^{(k)}$. It uses each newly computed coordinate immediately in the remaining triangular solve. It is successive over-relaxation with parameter one, and converges from every start when $A$ is a symmetric positive-definite matrix.

To solve a linear system $Ax=b$, split its matrix into the diagonal matrix $D$ and the strictly lower and upper parts $L,U$, retaining their actual signs. Every diagonal entry must be nonzero. A sweep updates coordinates in order:The Jacobi method uses the old vector throughout; the Gauss-Seidel method reuses each fresh coordinate. Thus the update order is part of the method.^[ref]

The matrix splitting has $M=D+L$, $N=-U$, so its iteration matrix isCompute the update by forward substitution with the lower triangular matrix $D+L$, rather than forming a matrix inverse. For a sparse matrix, a sweep only visits stored entries and can overwrite the working vector. Dependencies on fresh coordinates constrain parallel execution. This makes the Gauss-Seidel method an inexpensive solver component, including in a multigrid method.^[ref]

A strictly diagonally dominant matrix guarantees convergence of the Jacobi method for every initial vector.^[ref]

Indeed, using the maximum norm $\Vert v{\Vert }_{\infty }={\max }_i|v_i|$, the induced operator norm is the largest absolute row sum. The Jacobi method has $b_{ii}=0$ and $b_{ij}=-a_{ij}/a_{ii}$ for $j\ne i$, soThis gives a cheap sufficient check without computing any eigenvalues. For the Jacobi iteration for a three-variable tridiagonal system, the absolute row sums of $B$ are $1/4,1/2,1/4$, giving $\Vert B{\Vert }_{\infty }=1/2$. The true spectral radius $\sqrt{2}/4$ gives a sharper eventual rate.

Strict diagonal dominance is sufficient, not necessary: $A=\left(\begin{array}{cc}1& 2\\ 1/10& 1\end{array}\right)$ violates it in the first row, but its Jacobi method has eigenvalues $\pm 1/\sqrt{5}$ and converges. Conversely, being a positive-definite matrix alone is insufficient: the Jacobi convergence for a three-by-three equicorrelation matrix with $\alpha =3/4$ has positive eigenvalues $5/2,1/4,1/4$ for $A$, but spectral radius $3/2$ for its iteration matrix. The extra tridiagonal matrix structure in Jacobi convergence for a symmetric positive-definite tridiagonal matrix is therefore substantive.

Writing $A=D+L+U$, where $D$ is diagonal and $L,U$ are strictly triangular, the Jacobi iteration is

The Jacobi method solves a linear system by updating every coordinate from the same old vector. It requires every diagonal entry $a_{ii}$ to be nonzero. Isolating coordinate $i$ in row $i$ gives the simultaneous ruleHere $B$ is the iteration matrix. A sweep computes a complete new vector before replacing the old one, so its coordinate updates can run independently.^[ref]

For a sparse matrix, a sweep needs work proportional to the stored nonzero entries, while Gaussian elimination may create fill-in. The Jacobi method is therefore a simple starting point for large linear systems, and the weighted Jacobi method supplies a useful building block of a multigrid method. Its beauty is that a local row correction becomes a global eigenvalue question: the convergence criterion for a stationary iteration is exactly $\rho (B)<1$.

A matrix preconditioner is an auxiliary invertible matrix whose matrix inverse is cheap to apply and whose use improves the eigenvalues of a linear system. In symmetric positive-definite matrix problems, a symmetric positive-definite matrix $M$ preserves that structure under the symmetric transformation $M^{-1/2}A{M}^{-1/2}$.

Applying $M^{-1}$ means solving $Mz=r$ for a supplied vector $r$. This notation does not require forming a general matrix inverse. A diagonal matrix gives componentwise divisions; a factored matrix gives auxiliary solves such as forward substitution and back substitution.^[ref]

Choosing $M=I$ makes the solve trivial but changes nothing; choosing $M=A$ gives the exact correction but asks us to solve the original linear system.^[ref]

A splitting $A=M-N$ with invertible $M$ produces

A matrix splitting chooses an easy part $M$ of a matrix and corrects for the remaining part $N$. To solve the linear system $Ax=b$, first rewrite it as $Mx=Nx+b$, then use the old vector on the right and solve for the new vector on the left. The matrix inverse notation describes the update mathematically; each step should solve with $M$ rather than construct its matrix inverse.^[ref]

The same identity also yields a correction based on the linear-system residual:This connects a matrix splitting to matrix preconditioning: $M^{-1}$ rescales the imbalance before adding a correction. Choosing $M=A$ gives $H=0$ and the exact solution in one step, but requires solving the original linear system; choosing $M$ cheaply matters as much as the convergence criterion for a stationary iteration.

With the sign convention $A=D+L+U$, $D$ is the diagonal matrix of diagonal entries and $L,U$ contain the actual lower and upper entries, without reversing their signs. The Jacobi method uses $M=D$, $N=-(L+U)$; the Gauss-Seidel method uses $M=D+L$, $N=-U$. The first requires only division by diagonal entries; the second uses a lower triangular matrix and forward substitution. These choices explain their different information flows.