Activity Overview
In this activity, students learn to create and edit a matrix using the matrix editor. They use various features in the calculator to perform elementary row operations and convert a matrix to its reduced row echelon form. Finally they verify important results and solve a variety of problems in matrix theory and linear algebra.
Before the Activity
Set up the calculator as explained in the activity
See the attached PDF file for detailed instructions for this activity
Print pages 91 - 101 from the attached activity PDF file for the class
During the Activity
Distribute the pages to the class.
Follow the Activity procedures:
Create a matrix using the matrix editor, or from the home screen
Use the calculator to perform matrix-vector multiplication, and recognize the fact that the result will be a vector
Understand submatrices, and study matrix arithmetic
Use the matrix editor to edit a matrix
Create a matrix with complex number entries, and form its conjugate
Add the matrix and its conjugate, and store the result
Edit the result in the matrix editor and convert it into a real matrix
Create a matrix and reduce it to its echelon form using elementary row operations
Redimension the matrix by adding columns of zeros, if it has more rows than columns
Convert the entries in the row-reduced echelon form to fractions
Create a square matrix, and use the features of the calculator to determine its Eigen values and Eigen vectors
Use the Power Method to find the dominant eigen value and a corresponding eigen vector for the square matrix
Use the Gram-Schmidt process for finding an orthogonal basis
After the Activity
Students complete the exercises on the Activity sheet.
Review student results:
As a class, discuss questions that appeared to be more challenging
Re-teach concepts as necessary