The normal way to use the function prcop is in a command of the form A = prcop(A,a,b,c,d), where, as before, a = 1 means add b times row c to row d and a = 2 means add b times column c to column d in the matrix A. However, the multiplier b is now a polynomial and it is represented by a matrix with one row. The format for b is that if b is a polynomial of degree i it is represented by a row matrix with i + 2 entries, the first i + 1 of which are the numerators of the coefficients and the last of which is the denominator. For example, the command A = prcop(A,2,[5 4 1],3,2) means add 5x + 4 times column 3 to column 2. (This command assumes, of course, that A is in long format and has at least 3 columns.)
It is easy to work through the first example on page 86 using prcop.
Return to Chapter 8.