ECE 602 Lumped Systems Theory

October 06, 2008

ECE 602 Lecture Notes:

Examination of a Companion Matrix
Yesterday in lecture we examined the companion matrix

1 2 3 4
1
0
0
0
A=
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
The characteristic equation of A is

 s + 1 2 3

 1
s
0
det (sI A) = 
0
1 s


0
0 1

 s
0


= (s + 1 )  1 s
 0 1

4
0
0
s
0
0
s

(1)













 2 3 4 




 (1)  1 s
0




 0 1 s 

= (s + 1 ) s3 + 2 s2 (1) (3 s (4 ))
= s4 + 1 s3 + 2 s2 + 3 s + 4 = 0.

(2)

Thus, if 4 were zero, the characteristic polynomial would be

s s3 + 1 s2 + 2 s + 3
and zero would be an eigenvalue of A. If zero were an eigenvalue of A, then A would be
singular, i.e. non-invertible.
Can the matrix be singular if 4 is nonzero? The answer is no, because if 4 is nonzero,
then the four rows of the matrix A are linearly independent regardless of the values of
1 , 2 , and 3 . Of course we could also have used this simpler argument to establish
that if 4 were zero, the matrix A would be singular. Specifically, if 4 were zero, the
fourth column would be the zero vector so we would have only three linearly independent
rows/columns.
To show that

A1

0
1
0
0

0
0
1
0
,
=

0
0
0
1
1/4 1 /4 2 /4 3 /4

we simply multiply A by A1 and verify that the result is I.

What can we say about the eigenvalues and eigenvectors?

(3)

ECE 602 Lumped Systems Theory

October 06, 2008

Suppose that is an eigenvalue of A. Then

4 + 1 3 + 2 2 + 3 + 4 = 0
Also,
0 = (A I) v

v1
1 2 3 4

v2
1

0
0

0
1

0 v3
0
0
1

v4

(1 )v1 2 v2 3 v3 4 v4

v1 v2
=

v2 v3
v3 v4

(4)

Here we have (assuming known) four equations in the four unknowns v1 , v2 , v3 , and v4 .
From the fourth row we have that v3 = v4 . From the third, v2 = v3 = 2 v4 . From the
second, v1 = v2 = 2 v3 = 3 v4 . Then the first row is
0 = (1 )v1 2 v2 3 v3 4 v4
= (1 )3 v4 2 2 v4 3 v4 4 v4


= (1 )3 2 2 3 4 v4


= 4 + 1 3 + 2 2 + 3 + 4 v4 .

(5)

We already know that if is an eigenvalue of A it satisfies the characteristic equation

of A so this first equation holds regardless of the value of v4 . As always, we can choose
one element of the eigenvector arbitrarily so lets make v4 = 1. Then the eigenvector
corresponding to is

T
v = 3 2 1 .