Linear Algebra Assignment 2

Dr. Maya Saran

February 19, 2022

1. Find elementary matrices E1 , E2 , E3 such that

 
1 2 3
E1 E2 E3 = 0 1 4
0 0 1

Show how you got the solution.

2. (a) Consider the matrix  

1 2 3
A = 0 0 4 
0 0 1
Is it possible that there is a 3 × 3 matrix B such that AB = I? (Here I is
the 3 × 3 identity matrix.) Explain your answer, and don’t make use of the
determinant.

(b) Let C be a 3 × 3 matrix such that a series of eliminations, possibly with row
exchanges, results in the matrix A above. Does C have an inverse? Explain
your answer.

(c) List 5 different vectors in the column space of the matrix A. Describe the
column space C(A).

(d) Is C(A) = R3 ? (Yes or no only.)

3. Suppose a 3 × 3 matrix D is invertible. Must C(D) = R3 ? Explain your answer.

4. Consider the matrix  

1 4 5 −9 −7
−1 −2 −1 3 1
A=
−2 −3

0 3 −1
0 −3 −6 4 9
(a) Carry out the first 2 row reductions (in the standard way) for the matrix A in
order to obtain zeroes in the 2nd and 3rd positions of column 1. Call the new
matrix A0 . Do A and A0 have the same row space? Explain your answer. If you
say they have different row spaces, you have to produce a vector in one of the

1
 row spaces that is not in the other. If you say they have the same row spaces,
you have to show that every vector in the row space of A is in the row space of
A0 , and vice versa.

When you go all the way reducing A to its row reduced echelon form, you get
 
1 0 −3 0 5
0 1 2 0 −3
R= 0 0

0 1 0
0 0 0 0 0

(b) i. Do A and R have the same row space?

ii. Do the row spaces of A and R have the same dimension?
Explain in your own words.

(c) i. Do A and R have the same column space?

ii. Do the column spaces of A and R have the same dimension?
Explain in your own words.

(d) i. Do A and R have the same null space? Explain in your own words.
ii. Give a basis for the nullspace of R.
iii. What is the dimension of the nullspace of R? Of A?

5. Which of the following subsets of R4 are subspaces of R4 ? Justify.

(a) {(a1 , a2 , a3 , a4 ) ∈ R4 : a1 ≥ 0}
(b) {(a1 , a2 , a3 , a4 ) ∈ R4 : a1 a2 = 0}
(c) {(a1 , a2 , a3 , a4 ) ∈ R4 : a1 + 3a2 = a3 }
(d) {(a1 , a2 , a3 , a4 ) ∈ R4 : a4 is rational }

6. Let V be the vector space consisting of all functions from R to R. Which of the
following subsets of V are subspaces of V ?
(a) {f ∈ V : f (1) = 0}
(b) {f ∈ V : f (1) = f (0)}
(c) {f ∈ V : f (1) = 2}
(d) {f ∈ V : f is a polynomial }

2
 7. Consider the vector space R[x], consisting of all polynomials with real coefficients in
the single variable x. Is the following set a basis for R[x]?

S = {1, x, x + x2 , x + x2 + x3 , x + x2 + x3 + x4 , . . .}

Note: So far we have only looked at finite sets as bases. If this set is to be a basis,
we would have to have the following:
• Every element of R[x] can be expressed as a linear combination of some finitely
many elements of S.
• Given finitely many elements of S, no non-trivial linear combination of those
elements will produce the zero polynomial.

8. Let A be an n × n matrix. Prove the following:

(a) Det(A) = 0 iff rank(A) < n.
(b) Det(A) = 0 iff the nullspace of A has dimension greater than 0.

9. Let the rows of An×n be a1 , a2 , ...an and let Bn×n be the matrix in which the rows
are an , an−1 , ...a1 . Calculate det(B) in terms of det(A).

10. Consider a function f : M3×3 (R) → R defined as f (A) =det(A) for all A ∈ M3×3 .
Check if the function f satisfies the following properties:
(a) f (A + B) = f (A) + f (B) for all A, B ∈ M3×3
(b) f (AB) = f (A)f (B) for all A, B ∈ M3×3
(c) f (cA) = cf (A) for all A ∈ M3×3 , c ∈ R
In each case, give a proof if the property is satisfied, and a counterexample if it is
not.