Soient n et p deux entiers naturels non nuls. On appelle système linéaire de n équations à p inconnues tout système d'équations de la forme⎩⎨⎧coeffs1,1x1+coeffs1,2x2+⋯+coeffs1,pxp=b1coeffs2,1x1+coeffs2,2x2+⋯+coeffs2,pxp=b2⋮coeffsn,1x1+coeffsn,2x2+⋯+coeffsn,pxp=bnoù x1,…,xp sont des inconnues.
<spanclass="katex−display"><spanclass="katex"><spanclass="katex−html"aria−hidden="true"><spanclass="base"><spanclass="strut"style="height:4.32em;vertical−align:−1.91em;"></span><spanclass="minner"><spanclass="mopen"><spanclass="delimsizingmult"><spanclass="vlist−tvlist−t2"><spanclass="vlist−r"><spanclass="vlist"style="height:2.35em;"><spanstyle="top:−2.2em;"><spanclass="pstrut"style="height:3.15em;"></span><spanclass="delimsizinginnerdelim−size4"><span>⎩</span></span></span><spanstyle="top:−2.192em;"><spanclass="pstrut"style="height:3.15em;"></span><spanstyle="height:0.316em;width:0.8889em;"><svgxmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"width="0.8889em"height="0.316em"style="width:0.8889em"viewBox="00888.89316"preserveAspectRatio="xMinYMin"><pathd="M3840H504V316H384zM3840H504V316H384z"/></svg></span></span><spanstyle="top:−3.15em;"><spanclass="pstrut"style="height:3.15em;"></span><spanclass="delimsizinginnerdelim−size4"><span>⎨</span></span></span><spanstyle="top:−4.292em;"><spanclass="pstrut"style="height:3.15em;"></span><spanstyle="height:0.316em;width:0.8889em;"><svgxmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"width="0.8889em"height="0.316em"style="width:0.8889em"viewBox="00888.89316"preserveAspectRatio="xMinYMin"><pathd="M3840H504V316H384zM3840H504V316H384z"/></svg></span></span><spanstyle="top:−4.6em;"><spanclass="pstrut"style="height:3.15em;"></span><spanclass="delimsizinginnerdelim−size4"><span>⎧</span></span></span></span><spanclass="vlist−s"></span></span><spanclass="vlist−r"><spanclass="vlist"style="height:1.85em;"><span></span></span></span></span></span></span><spanclass="mord"><spanclass="mtable"><spanclass="col−align−l"><spanclass="vlist−tvlist−t2"><spanclass="vlist−r"><spanclass="vlist"style="height:2.41em;"><spanstyle="top:−4.41em;"><spanclass="pstrut"style="height:3.008em;"></span><spanclass="mord"><spanclass="mordmathnormal">x</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2778em;"></span><spanclass="mrel">=</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2778em;"></span><spanclass="mordmathnormal"style="margin−right:0.0359em;">y</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2222em;"></span><spanclass="mbin">+</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2222em;"></span><spanclass="mord">2</span><spanclass="mordmathnormal"style="margin−right:0.044em;">z</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2222em;"></span><spanclass="mbin">+</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2222em;"></span><spanclass="mord">1</span></span></span><spanstyle="top:−2.97em;"><spanclass="pstrut"style="height:3.008em;"></span><spanclass="mord"><spanclass="mordmathnormal"style="margin−right:0.044em;">z</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2222em;"></span><spanclass="mbin">+</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2222em;"></span><spanclass="mordmathnormal"style="margin−right:0.0359em;">y</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2222em;"></span><spanclass="mbin">+</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2222em;"></span><spanclass="mord">2</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2778em;"></span><spanclass="mrel">=</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2778em;"></span><spanclass="mord">−</span><spanclass="mord">3</span><spanclass="mordmathnormal">x</span></span></span><spanstyle="top:−1.53em;"><spanclass="pstrut"style="height:3.008em;"></span><spanclass="mord"><spanclass="mord">2</span><spanclass="mordmathnormal">x</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2222em;"></span><spanclass="mbin">+</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2222em;"></span><spanclass="mord">3</span><spanclass="mordmathnormal"style="margin−right:0.0359em;">y</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2222em;"></span><spanclass="mbin">−</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2222em;"></span><spanclass="mord">3</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2778em;"></span><spanclass="mrel">=</span><spanclass="mspace"style="margin−right:0.2778em;"></span><spanclass="mord">17</span><spanclass="mordmathnormal"style="margin−right:0.044em;">z</span></span></span></span><spanclass="vlist−s"></span></span><spanclass="vlist−r"><spanclass="vlist"style="height:1.91em;"><span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><spanclass="mclosenulldelimiter"></span></span></span></span></span></span> est un système d'équation linéaire de 3 équations à 3 inconnues.
Cas n=2 Les équations intervenant dans un système linéaire à deux inconnues sont de la forme ax+by=c. Sauf cas particulier où (a,b)=(0,0), ce sont des équations de droites du plan. L'ensemble des solutions d'un système linéaire à deux inconnues peut être interprété comme l'intersection de droites du plan.
Cas n=3 Les équations intervenant dans un système linéaire à trois inconnues sont de la forme ax+by+cz=d. Sauf cas particulier où (a,b,c)=(0,0,0), ce sont des équations de plans de l'espace. L'ensemble des solutions d'un système linéaire à trois inconnues peut être interprété comme l'intersection de plans de l'espace.