Part IV: Matrix Algebra

This part of the course extends the concept of inverse functions to the case where y = f(x) with y = (y1, y2, ..., yn) and x = (x1, x2, ..., xn). In more user-friendly terms this part asks us to determine when and how the system of equations that expresses y1, y2, ... and yn as functions of x1, x2, and xn can be "inverted" to express x1, x2, and xn as functions of y1, y2, ... and yn . This motivates the study of matrix algebra since the process of inverting an n x n square matrix is used to show how we decide whether a function f(x1, x2, ..., xn) has an inverse and how we find the inverse function if it exists.