# Inverting a matrix of symbolic equations
**URL:** https://discourse.julialang.org/t/inverting-a-matrix-of-symbolic-equations/79083
**Category:** General Usage
**Tags:** linearalgebra, symbolics
**Created:** [April 6, 2022, 6:03am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/inverting-a-matrix-of-symbolic-equations/79083 "2022-04-06T06:03:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Isaiah\_Warnke](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Isaiah_Warnke)
#### Post date: [April 6, 2022, 6:03am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/inverting-a-matrix-of-symbolic-equations/79083/1 "2022-04-06T06:03:34Z")
I’d like to invert a 4x4 matrix of symbolic equations.
I’m able to successfully invert a matrix of symbolic expressions like this:
```julia
using Symbolics
using LinearAlgebra
@variables x y[1:16] z
Symbolics.scalarize(y)
eq11 = x
eq12 = x^2
eq13 = x+15
eq14 = cos(x)
eq21 = log(x)
eq22 = sqrt(x)
eq23 = x^3
eq24 = -x
eq31 = 1/x
eq32 = (x+4)^3
eq33 = 69*x
eq34 = 42
eq41 = 14/x
eq42 = x^(3/5)
eq43 = sin(x)
eq44 = csc(x)
M = [eq11 eq12 eq13 eq14;
eq21 eq22 eq23 eq24;
eq31 eq32 eq33 eq34;
eq41 eq42 eq43 eq44]
inv(M)
```
but if I change the expressions to equations
```julia
eq11 = y[1] ~ x
eq12 = y[2] ~ x^2
eq13 = y[3] ~ x+15
eq14 = y[4] ~ cos(x)
eq21 = y[5] ~ log(x)
eq22 = y[6] ~ sqrt(x)
eq23 = y[7] ~ x^3
eq24 = y[8] ~ -x
eq31 = y[9] ~ 1/x
eq32 = y[10] ~ (x+4)^3
eq33 = y[11] ~ 69*x
eq34 = y[12] ~ 42
eq41 = y[13] ~ 14/x
eq42 = y[14] ~ x^(3/5)
eq43 = y[15] ~ sin(x)
eq44 = y[16] ~ csc(x)
```
the inversion fails.
Is there a way around this?
---
### Author:  [@baggepinnen](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/baggepinnen)
#### Post date: [April 6, 2022, 6:46am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/inverting-a-matrix-of-symbolic-equations/79083/2 "2022-04-06T06:46:46Z")
What is the inverse of a single equation like a = b?
---
### Author:  [@gustaphe](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/gustaphe)
#### Post date: [April 6, 2022, 8:12am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/inverting-a-matrix-of-symbolic-equations/79083/3 "2022-04-06T08:12:37Z")
If `=(a, b)` is a function that maps two numbers to a boolean, then `=^{-1}(c)` should be a function that takes a boolean `c` and returns (the) two numbers for which `=(a, b) = c`. It will not in general be well-defined since the equality operator cannot be bijective by the pidgeonhole principle, but if we settle for _an_ inverse then maybe
```julia
julia> ==⁻¹(c) = (1, Int(c))
==⁻¹ (generic function with 1 method)
julia> ==⁻¹(true)
(1, 1)
julia> ==⁻¹(false)
(1, 0)
```
could be an acceptable implementation.
---
### Author:  [@gustaphe](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/gustaphe)
#### Post date: [April 6, 2022, 8:43am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/inverting-a-matrix-of-symbolic-equations/79083/4 "2022-04-06T08:43:50Z")
Arguably, the inverse of an equation is the tuple (LHS, RHS):
```julia
julia> macro eqinv(ex)
return esc(:(($(ex.args[2]), $(ex.args[3]))))
end;
julia> a = 2; b = 4;
julia> @eqinv a==b
(2, 4)
julia> ==(@eqinv(a==b)...)
false
julia> ==(@eqinv(a==a)...)
true
```
i.e. the inverted function (macro) “undoes” the original. Can’t imagine this is very useful though.
---
### Author:  [@ChrisRackauckas](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/ChrisRackauckas)
#### Post date: [April 6, 2022, 1:10pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/inverting-a-matrix-of-symbolic-equations/79083/5 "2022-04-06T13:10:08Z")
Sure, open an issue. But this is… really weird 😅 . I’m not sure of a use case where you wouldn’t just invert the matrix of expressions instead of equations, so I don’t think it would get prioritized without a clear idea of a use case.
---
### Author:  [@gustaphe](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/gustaphe)
#### Post date: [April 6, 2022, 1:11pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/inverting-a-matrix-of-symbolic-equations/79083/6 "2022-04-06T13:11:42Z")
Yeah I can almost guarantee my solutions are not what op wants.
---
### Author:  [@ChrisRackauckas](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/ChrisRackauckas)
#### Post date: [April 6, 2022, 1:14pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/inverting-a-matrix-of-symbolic-equations/79083/7 "2022-04-06T13:14:10Z")
Almost. I’ve seen odder requests.