Assignment 9

1. Which of the following statements are true?

(a) If a real matrix has one eigenvector, then it has infinite number
of eigenvectors.
(b) There exists a square matrix with no eigenvectors
(c) Eigenvalues must be non-zero scalars
(d) Any two eigenvectors are linearly independent
(e) The sum of two eigenvectors is also an eigenvector
(f) Every linear operator on an n-dimensional space has n distinct
eigenvalues
(g) A square matrix A is invertible if and only if 0 is not an eigenvalue
of A
(h) If λ is an eigenvalue of an invertible matrix A, then λ−1 is an
eigenvalue of A−1
(i) If λ is an eigenvalue of a matrix A, then λ2 is an eigenvalue of A2
(j) A square matrix A and At have the same characteristic polynomial
and hence the same eigenvalues

2. Let A be a 3 × 3 matrix such that A3 − 4A2 + 5A − 2I = 0. Then which

of the following statements are true?

(a) chA (x) = x3 − 4x2 + 5x − 2

(b) mA (x) = x3 − 4x2 + 5x − 2
(c) mA (x) divides x3 − 4x2 + 5x − 2
(d) 1 and 2 are the only eigenvalues of A
(f) 1 or 2 is an eigenvalue of A
(f) A is invertible

1
3. Let A be a 2 × 2 matrix such that (A − I)2 (A − 3I) = 0. Then which
of the following statements are true?

(a) chA (x) = (x − 1)2 (x − 3)

(b) mA (x) divides (x − 1)2 (x − 3)
(c) 1 is an eigenvalues of A
(d) 3 is an eigenvalue of A
(e) 1 or 3 is an eigenvalue of A
(f) A is invertible

4. Let V be a vector space and T be a linear operator on V . Then which

of the following subspaces W of V are T -invariant?
(Recall: A subspace W of V is said to be T -invariant if T (W ) ⊆ W )

(a) {0}
(b) V
(c) ker T
(d) range T
(e) an eigenspace of T
(f) span{v, T v, T 2 v, · · · }, for v ∈ V
(g) V = P3 (R); T (p(x)) = p0 (x), the derivative of p(x); W = P2 (R)
(h) V = P3 (R); T (p(x)) = xp0 (x); W = P2 (R)
(i) V = P3 (R); T (p(x)) = xp(x); W = P2 (R)

5. Find the characteristic polynomial, eigenvalue, eigenspaces, and the

minimal polynomial for the following matrices:
         
1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0
0 0 2 0 0 2 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0