Underdetermined system Constraint counting Overdetermined system

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underdetermined_system

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constraint_counting

In mathematics, constraint counting is counting the number of constraints in order to compare it with the number of variables, parameters, etc. that are free to be determined, the idea being that in most cases the number of independent choices that can be made is the excess of the latter over the former.

For example, in linear algebra if the number of constraints (independent equations) in a system of linear equations equals the number of unknowns then precisely one solution exists; if there are fewer independent equations than unknowns, an infinite number of solutions exist; and if the number of independent equations exceeds the number of unknowns, then no solutions exist.

In the context of partial differential equations, constraint counting is a crude but often useful way of counting the number of free functions needed to specify a solution to a partial differential equation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overdetermined_system

Consider the system of 3 equations and 2 unknowns (X and Y), which is overdetermined because 3>2, and which corresponds to Diagram #1:

There is one solution for each pair of linear equations: for the first and second equations (0.2, −1.4), for the first and third (−2/3, 1/3), and for the second and third (1.5, 2.5). However, there is no solution that satisfies all three simultaneously. Diagrams #2 and 3 show other configurations that are inconsistent because no point is on all of the lines. Systems of this variety are deemed inconsistent.

超定方程 线性依赖

The only cases where the overdetermined system does in fact have a solution are demonstrated in Diagrams #4, 5, and 6. These exceptions can occur only when the overdetermined system contains enough linearly dependent equations that the number of independent equations does not exceed the number of unknowns. Linear dependence means that some equations can be obtained from linearly combining other equations. For example, Y = X + 1 and 2Y = 2X + 2 are linearly dependent equations because the second one can be obtained by taking twice the first one.