Solution HSE.C30 Robert Beezer
Definition NSM tells us that the null space of $A$ is the solution set to the homogeneous system $\homosystem{A}$. The augmented matrix of this system is \begin{equation*} \begin{bmatrix} 2 & 4 & 1 & 3 & 8 & 0 \\ -1 & -2 & -1 & -1 & 1 & 0 \\ 2 & 4 & 0 & -3 & 4 & 0 \\ 2 & 4 & -1 & -7 & 4 & 0 \end{bmatrix} \end{equation*} To solve the system, we row-reduce the augmented matrix and obtain, \begin{equation*} \begin{bmatrix} \leading{1} & 2 & 0 & 0 & 5 & 0 \\ 0 & 0 & \leading{1} & 0 & -8 & 0 \\ 0 & 0 & 0 & \leading{1} & 2 & 0 \\ 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 \end{bmatrix} \end{equation*} This matrix represents a system with equations having three dependent variables ($x_1$, $x_3$, and $x_4$) and two independent variables ($x_2$ and $x_5$). These equations rearrange to \begin{align*} x_1&=-2x_2-5x_5 & x_3&=8x_5 & x_4&=-2x_5 \end{align*} So we can write the solution set (which is the requested null space) as \begin{equation*} \nsp{A}=\setparts{ \colvector{-2x_2-5x_5\\x_2\\8x_5\\-2x_5\\x_5} }{ x_2, x_5\in\complex{\null} } \end{equation*}