Yes, elementary row operations preserve the rank. Reducing a matrix toward echelon form reveals which rows contain pivots and which become zero, allowing the rank to be counted without changing the underlying linear dependencies.
Conditions: The operations are elementary row operations (swapping rows, scaling rows, adding multiples of one row to another).
Yes, elementary row operations preserve the rank. Reducing a matrix toward echelon form reveals which rows contain pivots and which become zero, allowing the rank to be counted without changing the underlying linear dependencies.
Conditions: The operations are elementary row operations (swapping rows, scaling rows, adding multiples of one row to another).