Vectors which do not belong to column space also pass the test which is the passed by the vectors in column space

linear algebramatrices

In the book Linear algebra and it's application by Gilbert Strang, it is given that

We have an augmented matrix for system of linear equations $ Ax=b$ as:
\begin{bmatrix}1&2&3&5&b_1\\2&4&8&12&b_2\\3&6&7&13&b_3\end{bmatrix}
After applying gaussian elimination:
\begin{bmatrix}1&2&3&5&b_1\\0&0&2&2&b_2-2b_1\\0&0&0&0&b_3+b_2-5b_1\end{bmatrix}

Description of Column space of A: The column space contains all vectors with $b_3+b_2−5b_1=0$.
That makes $Ax = b$ solvable, so $b$ is in the column space. All columns of $A$ pass this
test $b_3 +b_2 −5b_1 = 0$. This is the equation for the plane (in the first description of
the column space).

My question is this: is correct to say that "The column space of $A$ contains all vectors with $b_3+b_2−5b_1 = 0$"?
I know that all the vectors in column space of $A$ will pass this test $b_3+b_2-5b_1$ but wont there be vectors outside the column space of $A$ which also pass this test? So, should we say " the column space of $A$ contains all vectors which pass the test"?

Best Answer

You can prove the converse as well. If $b_3+b_2-5b_1=0$ then we will be able to solve the augmented system with infinitely many solutions and hence $b$ will belong to the column space. As an example, $A[0,0,5b_2/4-3b_1,2b_1-3b_2/4]^T=b$.

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