# Gauss-Jordan with complex numbers

• July 9th 2009, 12:38 PM
chrisc
Gauss-Jordan with complex numbers
I did a quick search on google but I did not find anything.

$\begin{pmatrix}2&-1-i\\-1+i&1\end{pmatrix}$

Is this the right approach:
1. divide the first row by 2
2. add the first row to row 2...

$\begin{pmatrix}1&(-1-i)/2\\i&1/2-i/2\end{pmatrix}$

is this good so far?
now should I divide the 2nd row by i, and then subtract is by row 1?
• July 9th 2009, 01:48 PM
CaptainBlack
Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisc
I did a quick search on google but I did not find anything.

$\begin{pmatrix}2&-1-i\\-1+i&1\end{pmatrix}$

Is this the right approach:
1. divide the first row by 2
2. add the first row to row 2...

$\begin{pmatrix}1&(-1-i)/2\\i&1/2-i/2\end{pmatrix}$

is this good so far?
now should I divide the 2nd row by i, and then subtract is by row 1?

Divide the first row by $2$ is OK

but then subtract $-1+i$ times the first row from the second.

(the reason you found nothing specific to complex matrices is that the process is identical to that for real matrices)

CB