80 CHAPTER 2. STEADY STATE DISCRETE MODELS
If
D{ = g is viewed in block form, then
E H
I F
¸
[
1
[
2
¸
=
G
1
G
2
¸
= (2.4.10)
The above blo ck elementary matrix multiplication gives
E H
0 F I E
1
H
¸
[
1
[
2
¸
=
G
1
G
2
I E
1
G
1
¸
= (2.4.11)
So, if the block upper triangular matrix is nonsingular, then this last block
equation can be solved.
The following basic properties of square matrices play an important role in
the solution of (2.4.10). These prop erties follow directly from the definition of
an inverse matrix.
Theorem 2.4.1 (Basic Matrix Properties) Let B and C be square matrices
that have inverses. Then the following equalities hold:
1.
E 0
0
F
¸
1
=
E
1
0
0 F
1
¸
>
2.
L
n
0
I L
p
¸
1
=
L
n
0
I L
p
¸
>
3.
E 0
I F
¸
=
E
0
0
F
¸
L
n
0
F
1
I L
p
¸
and
4.
E
0
I F
¸
1
=
L
n
0
F
1
I L
p
¸
1
E
0
0
F
¸
1
=
E
1
0
F
1
I E
1
F
1
¸
=
Definition. Let D have the form in (2.4.9) and E be nonsingular. The Schur
complement of
E in D is F I E
1
H.
Theorem 2.4.2 (Schur Complement Existence) Consider A as in (2.4.10).
If both B and the Schur complement of B in A are nonsingular, then A is
nonsingular. Moreover, the solution of
D{ = g is given by using a block upper
triangular solve of (2.4.11).
The choice of the blocks
E and F can play a very important role. Often
the choice of the physical object, which is being modeled, suggests the choice
of E and F= For example, if the heat diusion in a thin wire is being modeled,
the unknowns associated with E might be the unknowns on the left side of the
thin wire and the unknowns associated with
F would then be the right side.
Another alternative is to partition the wire into three parts: a small center and
a left and right side; this might be useful if the wire was made of two types of
materials. A somewhat more elaborate example is the model of airflow over an
aircraft. Here we might partition the aircraft into wing, rudder, fuselage and
"connecting" components. Such partitions of the physical object or the matrix
are called domain decompositions.
© 2004 by Chapman & Hall/CRC