Pivot column (source code)

= Pivot column

A <pivot column> of a <matrix> is a column whose position contains a leading nonzero <matrix entry> in its <row echelon form>. The corresponding columns of the original <matrix> form a <basis> of its <column space>. The column positions survive <row operations>, although the column <vectors> themselves generally change.<Interactive Linear Algebra by Dan Margalit and others/Row Reduction>[Interactive Linear Algebra, §1.2.3, definitions of pivot position and pivot column]{ref}