MA5158 Engineering Mathematics I

Unit I - MATRICES
Problems set

PART A

1. For a matrix A of order 3, |A| = 32 and two of its eigenvalues are 8 and 2. Find the
sum of the eigenvalues.

2. If the sum of two eigenvalues and trace of a 3×3 matrix A are equal, find determinant
of A.

3. Obtain the characteristic equation of a 3 × 3 matrix whose eigenvalues are 1, −2 and

3.
 
1 2 −3
4. If A = 0 3 2 , find the eigenvalues of (A − 3I)2 .
0 0 2
 
1 1 3
5. If 3 and 6 are the eigenvalues of 1 5 1, find the eigenvalues of A−1 .
3 1 1
 
2 2 1
6. Find the eigenvector corresponding to the eigenvalue 1 of the matrix 1 3 1.
1 2 2
 
a 4
7. Find the values of a and b so that the matrix has 3 and −2 as its eigenvalues.
1 b
 
1 0
8. Can the matrix be diagonalised? Justify your answer.
0 1
 
0 −1 2
9. Write the quadratic form corresponding to the symmetric matrix −1 −1 4
2 4 3

10. Determine the nature of the quadratic form x21 + 2x22 + 3x23 .

11. Find the index and signature of the quadratic form x21 + 2x22 − 3x23 .

PART B

12. Findthe eigenvalues

 and
 eigenvectors
 of the 3 × 3 matrices
1 1 3 3 1 4
(a) 1 5 1
  (b) 0
 2 6
3 1 1 0 0 5
 
2 −1 1
13. Verify Cayley-Hamilton theorem for the matrix A = −1 2 −1 and hence
1 −1 2
compute A−1 .
 
2 1 1
14. If A = 0 1 0, using Cayley-Hamilton theorem compute the value of
1 1 2
A − 5A + 7A6 − 3A5 + A4 − 5A3 + 8A2 − 2A + I.
8 7

1
  
1 2
15. Verify Cayley-Hamilton theorem for the matrix A = and hence find the
2 −1
matrix A8 .
     
1 2 2
16. If 2,  1  and −2 are the eigenvectors corresponding to the eigenvalues 3,
2 −2 1
6 and 9 respectively of a real symmetric matrix A of order 3, find the matrix A.
 
1 2 3
17. Diagonalise the matrix A = 0 3 1 if possible.
0 0 1
 
8 −6 2
18. Diagonalise the matrix −6 7 −4 using an orthogonal transformation.
2 −4 3

19. Reduce the quadratic form x2 + 5y 2 + z 2 + 2xy + 2yz + 6xz to canonical form by
orthogonal transformation.

20. Show that the quadratic form 5x21 + 26x22 + 10x23 + 4x2 x3 + 14x3 x1 + 6x1 x2 is positive
semidefinite and find a non zero set of values x1 , x2 and x3 which make the form
zero.

Answers/Hints

1. 12

2. 0

3. (λ − 1)(λ + 2)(λ − 3) = 0

4. 4, 0, 1
1 1 −1
5. 3, 6, 2
 
x1
6. x2  such that x1 + 2x2 + x3 = 0
x3
7. a = 2 and b = −1 or a = −1 and b = 2
   
x1 1 0
8. Yes. Hint: every vector is an eigen vector for
x2 0 1

9. Q = −x22 + 3x23 − 2x1 x2 + 8x2 x3 + 4x1 x3

10. Positive definite

11. Index=2 and signature=1

 
−1
12. (a) The eigenvalues are −2, 3, 6 and the corresponding eigenvectors are  0 ,
1
   
1 1
−1, 2
1 1

2
 
1
(b)The eigenvalues are 2, 3 and 5 and the corresponding eigenvectors are −1,
0
   
1 3
0 and 2
0 1
 
3 1 −1
13. A−1 = 14  1 3 1 
−1 1 3
 
8 5 5
14. 0 3 0

5 5 8
 
1 0
15. 625
0 1
16. Find the normalised modal matrix N with columns as the given eigen vectors nor-
malised. The matrx D is the diagonal matrix with diagonal entries as the given
eigenvalues. N T AN = D ⇒ A = N DN T .

17. Not diagonalizable

   
0 0 0 1 2 2
1
18. 0 3 0 with N = 3 2 1 −2
0 0 15 2 −2 1
 √ √ √ 
−1/ 2 −1/√ 3 1 √6
19. The canonical form is −2x2 + 3y 2 + 6z 2 ; N =  0√ 1/ √3 2/√6
1/ 2 −1/ 3 1/ 6
20. Hint: Since the given quadratic form is positive semidefinite, the symmetric matrix
corresponding to this quadratic form has at least one zero eigenvalue. The eigenvec-
tor corresponding to zero eigenvalue will make this form zero.