MAST10008 Assignment 6 Solutions

1. Given the following matrix:  

2 1 + 3i
A=
i −1
(a) Check that λ = −i is an eigenvalue and find the other eigenvalue.

Solution. We have  
2 − x 1 + 3i 
det(A − xI) = 
  = x2 − x + 1 − i
i −1 − x
We check that −i is a root: (−i)2 + i + 1 − i = 0.
We can then factor
x2 − x + 1 − i = (x + i)(x − (1 + i))
so the other eigenvalue is 1 + i.
(Alternatively, use the fact that the matrix has trace 1, so the other eigenvalue is 1 − (−i) = 1 + i.

(b) Find the linearly independent eigenvectors of A.

Solution. For λ = −i:    

2+i 1 + 3i 1 1+i
A + iI = ∼
i−1+i 0 0
so (1 + i, −1) is an eigenvector.
For λ = 1 + i:    
1 − i 1 + 3i 1 −1 + 2i
A − (1 + i)I = ∼
i −2 − i 0 0
so (1 − 2i, 1) is an eigenvector.

(c) Find an invertible matrix P and a diagonal matrix D such that A = P DP −1 .

Solution. From the answers in part (b), we have

   
1 + i 1 − 2i −i 0
P = D=
−1 1 0 1+i

(d) Find A20 . (Simplify your answer as much as you can.)

Solution. We have A20 = P D20 P −1 , where

(−i)20
   
20 0 1 0
D = =
0 (1 + i)20 0 −1024
   
1 1 −1 + 2i 2 + i 1 −1 + 2i
P −1 = =
2−i 1 1+i 5 1 1+i
so    
2 + i −1023 + 2049i 1025i − 3075 −819 + 615i −1435 − 205i
A20 = =
5 −1025 −1023 − 1026i −410 − 205i −204 − 615i
2. Find all eigenvalues and linearly independent eigenvectors of the matrix
 
1 1 1 0
1 1 0 1
B= 1
 over F2 .
0 1 1
0 1 1 1

Use this information to answer the following questions (with short justifications):
(a) Is B invertible?
(b) Is B diagonalisable?

Solution.
     
 1+λ 1 1 0   1 1+λ 0 1   1 1+λ 0 1 
λ2
     
 1 1 + λ 0 1   1+λ 1 1 0   0 1 1+λ 
 = = 
 1 0 1+λ 1   1 0 1+λ 1   0 1+λ 1+λ 0 
     
 0 1 1 1+λ   0 1 1 1+λ   0 1 1 1+λ 
     
 1 1+λ 0 1   1 1+λ 0 1   1 1+λ 0 1 
λ2
     
 0 1 1+λ   0 1 1 0   0 1 1 0 
= (1 + λ)   = (1 + λ)   = (1 + λ)  
 0 1 1 0 


 0 λ2 1 1+λ 


 0 0 1 + λ2 1 + λ 

 0 1 1 1+λ   0 1 1 1+λ   0 0 0 1+λ 

= (1 + λ)2 (1 + λ2 ) = (1 + λ)4
So there is only one eigenvalue λ = 1. We find the eigenvectors:
   
0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1
 1 0 0 1   0 1 1 0 
 ∼ .
 1 0 0 1   0 0 0 0 
0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0

Set x3 = s, x4 = t so the eigenspace has basis {(0, 1, 1, 0), (1, 0, 0, 1)}.

The matrix is invertible since 0 is not an eigenvalue.
The matrix is not diagonalisable since there are only 2 linearly independent eigenvectors, instead of 4.
3. Consider the matrix  
a b c
C = 1 − 2a 1 − 2b 1 − 2c
a b c
where −1 < a − 2b + c < 1 with a, b, c ∈ R.
(a) Find the eigenvalues of C (in terms of a, b, c).

Solution. Since all columns sum up to 1, we know that 1 is an eigenvalue.

Moreover, C has two identical rows so it is not invertible and 0 is an eigenvalue.
Finally, the trace of C is (a − 2b + c + 1), so the last eigenvalue is λ = a − 2b + c.

(b) Find limn→∞ C n (in terms of a, b, c).

Solution. Assuming that1 a − 2b + c 6= 0, we see that C has distinct eigenvalues, hence it is diago-
nalisable with diagonal matrix  
0 0 0
D= 0  1 0 
0 0 a − 2b + c
Since |a − 2b + c| < 1, (a − 2b + c)n → 0 as n → ∞, so the limit of Dn is simply
 
0 0 0
D∞ = 0 1 0
0 0 0

We have C = P DP −1 where the middle column of P is an eigenvector (d1 , d2 , d3 ) with eigenvalue 1.

Since C has column sums equal to 1, so do all powers C n , and hence also lim C n . But the columns
of P D∞ P −1 are all scalar multiples of (d1 , d2 , d3 ). We conclude that they are all equal, and equal to
the normalised version of (d1 , d2 , d3 ).
It remains to compute this eigenvector with eigenvalue 1:
   
a−1 b c 1 0 −1
1 − 2a −2b 1 − 2c ∼ 0 b a + c − 1
a b c−1 0 0 0

If b = 0, then a + c − 1 6= 0 and we get the eigenvector (0, 1, 0).

Otherwise, an eigenvector is (b, 1 − a − c, b) and the column sum one multiple is
1
(b, 1 − a − c, b).
1 − (a − 2b + c)

1
If a − 2b + c = 0 and a = b = 0, then the 0-eigenspace is 2-dimensional and C is diagonalisable. But if a − 2b + c = 0 and
a 6= b, then C is not diagonalisable and the argument we give here does not apply. One has to then use the Jordan normal
form of C in order to compute powers of C, but this is beyond our scope in this subject. You will see the Jordan normal
form in Group Theory and Linear Algebra if you take it.
4. Reduce the following equation to standard form and identify the conic it represents:

−2x2 + xy + y 2 = 1.

Solution. The equation is equivalent to

   
T x −2 1/2
x Ax = 1 where x= , A= .
y 1/2 1

The characteristic polynomial of A is

9
det(λI − A) = λ2 + λ −
4
√
so the eigenvalues are λ = (−1 ± 10)/2.
The standard form of the conic is
u2 v 2 2 2
− 2 = 1, a2 = √ , b2 = √ .
a2 b 10 − 1 10 + 1
It is a hyperbola.
There is no need to give the directions of the axes.