2016.5.16.

Multiplyingblockmatrices|MyMathHomework

Let and bean by matrixanda by matrixrespectively.Supposewepartition

intosubmatriceswith rowpartitionsand columnpartitions:

andwepartition intosubmatriceswith rowpartitionsand columnpartitions:

Showthatthe by matrixproduct
partitionsand columnpartitions

canbedescribedasablockmatrixwith row

withsubmatricescomputedasfollows:

Proof:(NotethatImsureabetterproofofthisexists,nottomentionbetternotation.
HoweverthisisthebestIcancomeupwith.)
Wedefineablockmatrixwithin asfollows:First,wedividethe rowsof into
partitions,where
.Thepartitionisdoneusingavector ofnonnegativeinteger
valuesdefinedasfollows:

Thiscanbeinterpretedasfollows:
rowinthe partition,and
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isthefirstrowinthe partition,
isthelast
isthenumberofrowsinthe partition.
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Multiplyingblockmatrices|MyMathHomework

Wethendividethe columnsof into partitions,where

nonnegativeintegervaluesdefinedasfollows:

Thevector hasasimilarinterpretationtothevector :
partition,
isthelastcolumninthe partition,and
columnsinthe partition.

,usingavector of

isthefirstcolumninthe
isthenumberof

Wethendefine times submatricesof ,withagivensubmatrixdefinedintermsofthe

entriesof asfollows:

sothatthe

entryof

Notethatwhen

hasthevalue

wehave

sothat

Inotherwords,inthiscase hasonlyasinglesubmatrix,namely itself.

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Alsonotethatwhen

Multiplyingblockmatrices|MyMathHomework

and

wehave

sothat

Wethenhave

Inotherwords,inthiscase has times submatrices,eachcontainingasingleentryof .

Wenextdefineablockmatrixwithin asfollows:First,wedividethe rowsof into
partitions,usingthesamevector usedtopartitionthecolumnsof .
(Note:Itisimportantthattherowsof bepartitionedintheexactsamemannerasthe
columnsof ,andnotjustthatthenumberofpartitions bethesame.Otherwisewewont
beabletomultiplysubmatricesof bythecorrespondingsubmatricesof ,becausethe
numberofcolumnsinasubmatrixof wontnecessarilymatchthenumberofrowsinthe
correspondingsubmatrixof .Unfortunatelysomereferencesdontmakethisclear,
includingtheblockmatrixarticleatWikipedia.)
Wethendividethe columnsof into partitions,where
nonnegativeintegervaluesdefinedasfollows:

,usingavector of

Again,thevector hasthesameinterpretationasthevectors and :

columninthe partition,
isthelastcolumninthe
numberofcolumnsinthe partition.
https://math.hecker.org/2011/04/07/multiplyingblockmatrices/

partition,and

isthefirst
isthe
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Multiplyingblockmatrices|MyMathHomework

Wethendefine times submatricesof ,withagivensubmatrixdefinedintermsofthe

entriesof asfollows:

Asinthecaseof ,if
thenthereisonlyasinglesubmatrixof ,namely itself,
andif
and
theneachsubmatrixcontainsasingleentryof .The
entryof
hasthevalue

Finally,considerthe by matrix

withentries

Wecanpartitiontherowsof into partitionsaccordingtothesamevector usedto

partitiontherowsof ,andpartitionthecolumnsof into partitionsaccordingtothe
samevector usedtopartitionthecolumnsof .Wethenhave

withthe

entryof

havingthevalue

Nowconsiderthefollowingmatrix:

forsome and where

and

First,notethatallthesubmatrices
have
thesubmatrices
have
rowsand

.
rowsand
columns,andall
columns.(Thisfollowsfromthe

definitionsof , ,and .)

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Multiplyingblockmatrices|MyMathHomework

Sincethenumberofcolumnsinthesubmatrices

isthesameasthenumberofrowsin

thesubmatrices
,matrixmultiplicationispossible,andtheresultingproductmatrices
willhave
rowsand
columns.Since
isthesumoftheproduct
matrices,ittoowillhave
rowsand
columns,thesamenumberofrows
andcolumnsas
(basedonthepartitioningof asdescribedabove).
Nowconsiderthe
entryin
.Itwillconsistofthesumofallthe
productmatrices.Moreformally,

Sincethenumberofcolumnsinthesubmatrices
submatrices
is
,wethenhave

entriesinthe

andthenumberofrowsinthe

sothat

Notethatthefirstinnersum(when
)startsat
(because
bydefinition),that
eachsubsequentinnersumstartsatavalueof onegreaterthanthelast,andthatthelast
innersum(when
)endsat
(because
).Wethusconcludethat takeson
allvaluesfrom1to ,andonlythosevalues,sothatwecanrewritetheaboveas

Since
sincethe

and

havethesamenumberofrowsandcolumns(asdiscussedabove),and

entryof
isequaltothe
entryof
,andfromthedefinitionof that

forall and ,weconcludethat

whichwaswhatwesetouttoprove.
Notethatif

then

sothattheaboveequationreducesto
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.
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Ontheotherhand,if

Multiplyingblockmatrices|MyMathHomework

,and

thenwehave

sothattheequation

isessentiallyequivalentto

UPDATE:SinceoriginallywritingthispostIslightlychangedthedefinitionofapartitioning
vector .First,Iclarifiedthat containednonnegativeintegerentries.Second,Iusedthe
condition
insteadof
for
,becauseIthinkitbettercorrespondstothe
intuitiveideaofhowapartitionwouldbedefined.
Notethatwecanderivetheoldconditionfromthenewone:
Suppose
for
andwehave with
.Let
.Wehave
when
.(Thisisthenewconditionthatweareassumingistrue.)Nowsuppose
forsome
.Wehave
basedonthenewcondition(assumingthat
sothat
hasavalue),so
impliesthat
.
Byinductionwethenhave
forall
forwhich
hasavalue.Since
and
hasavalue(since
does)wethenhave
.Thus
for
impliesthatforany and wehave
if
.
Also,since
,theoldconditionthat
for
impliesthenewconditionthat
.Thustheoldandnewconditionsareequivalent,andthechoicebetweenthemin
definingapartitioningvectorissimplyamatterofconvenience.

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