Start Date
12-12-2018 10:40 AM
Description
Utilizing a matrix simplifies problems involving systems of linear equations. Gaussian elimination, a series of correctly executed row operations performed on matrices, allows us to systematically find the solution to problems. Although named after mathematician Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss, who was born in the late 18th century, elimination originated sometime between 200 BCE and 100 BCE in the Chinese text, Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Arts. The Nine Chapters offers a method different from Gaussian elimination and recommends using counting boards and counting rods to solve the problems it poses. Since then, the power of computational capabilities has tremendously grown. As a result, the method and computation of elimination have evolved to solve the increasingly larger and larger systems of equations. However, how exactly has elimination changed? How do the elimination methods used today compare with those used two millenniums ago? What do the changes in the computational tools of elimination reveal about its future? I propose a two-part research method consisting of textual analyses and interviews with experts. Through these, I would be able to understand how elimination has changed and how it will change.
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The Evolution of Gaussian-Type Elimination
Utilizing a matrix simplifies problems involving systems of linear equations. Gaussian elimination, a series of correctly executed row operations performed on matrices, allows us to systematically find the solution to problems. Although named after mathematician Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss, who was born in the late 18th century, elimination originated sometime between 200 BCE and 100 BCE in the Chinese text, Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Arts. The Nine Chapters offers a method different from Gaussian elimination and recommends using counting boards and counting rods to solve the problems it poses. Since then, the power of computational capabilities has tremendously grown. As a result, the method and computation of elimination have evolved to solve the increasingly larger and larger systems of equations. However, how exactly has elimination changed? How do the elimination methods used today compare with those used two millenniums ago? What do the changes in the computational tools of elimination reveal about its future? I propose a two-part research method consisting of textual analyses and interviews with experts. Through these, I would be able to understand how elimination has changed and how it will change.
