What is a key characteristic of row echelon form?

In row echelon form, one of the defining characteristics is that all entries below each leading 1 in the rows are zero. This means that once a leading 1 is established in a row, all the values below that 1, in the same column, must be adjusted to zero. This structured arrangement helps in simplifying linear equations and makes it easier to perform operations to solve systems of equations.

This characteristic is crucial for understanding how to manipulate and solve systems efficiently, as it allows one to systematically work towards finding solutions, whether they are unique or indicate dependencies among the variables. In practical applications, achieving this form is often the first step towards using methods such as Gaussian elimination, allowing for clearer analysis of the system at hand.