Carnegie Mellon University

Department of Mathematical Sciences

21-241 Matrix Algebra
Practice Final Exam Solutions, Fall 2018

1. Solve the following, expressing your solution in vector form.

x1 x2 + x3 + 2x4 = 6
2x1 x2 + 2x3 + 3x5 = 6
x1 + x3 x4 + 3x5 = 1

2 3 2 3 2 3
2 1 3
6 2 7 6 0 7 6 3 7
6 7 6 7 6 7
Solution: x = 6
6 0 7 + s6
7 6 1 7 + t6
7 6 0 7
7
4 1 5 4 0 5 4 0 5
0 0 1

2. Let A be an m n matrix.

(a) Suppose the columns of A are linearly independent. Prove that AT A is invertible.
Solution: Consider AT Ax = 0. Then xT AT Ax = xT 0 = 0, so kAxk2 = 0. Hence
Ax = 0. So a linear combination, Ax, of the columns of A is 0; and the columns of A
are linearly independent, we conclude that x = 0. Thus the null space of AT A is f0g, so
AT A is invertible.
(b) Suppose AT A is invertible. Prove that A has linearly independent columns.
Solution: Consider Ax = 0, which is a linear combination if the columns of A. Then
1
AT (Ax) = AT 0 = 0, so x = AT A 0 = 0. Therefore the columns of A must be
linearly independent.

3. Let T be the linear transformation mapping P3 to P3 , de…ned by

[T (p)](t) = 7t3 p000 (t) 12t2 p00 (t) + 12tp0 (t) 6p(t)

(a) Find the matrix A which represents T with respect to the basis f1; t; t2 ; t3 g.
Solution: We evaluate [T (1)] (t) = 6, [T (t)] (t) = 12t 6t = 6t, [T (t2 )] (t) = 24t2 +
24t2 6t2 = 6t2 , and [T (t3 )] (t) = 42t3 72t3 + 36t3 6t3 = 0. So the matrix is
2 3
6 0 0 0
6 0 6 0 0 7
A=6 4 0 0
7
6 0 5
0 0 0 0

(b) Use A to determine whether T has an inverse.

Solution: Since det (A) = 0, A is not invertible, and so T is not invertible.
4. Let P be the vector space
R 1 of all polynomials. Let W be the subset of P consisting of all
polynomials p such that 1 xp (x) dx = 0.

(a) Prove that W is a subspace of P.

Solution: Suppose p (x) = 0 for all x; so that p is the zero vector. Then
Z 1 Z 1
xp (x) dx = x (0) dx = 0
1 1

and p 2 W .
Suppose p and q are in W Then
Z 1 Z 1 Z 1 Z 1
x (p + q) (x) dx = x (p (x) + q (x)) dx = xp (x) dx+ xq (x) dx = 0+0 = 0
1 1 1 1

and p + q 2 W .
Suppose p is in W , and c 2 R. Then
Z 1 Z 1 Z 1
x (cp) (x) dx = x (cp (x)) dx = c xp (x) dx = c (0) = 0
1 1 1

and cp 2 W . Thus W is a subspace.

(b) Let V = span f1; x2 ; x4 ; : : :g. Show that V is a subspace of W .
Solution: We have V is a subspace as the span of a set. Suppose p 2 V . Then
p (x) = c0 + c1 x2 + ck x2k
for some coee…cients ci and some k. Then
Z 1 Z 1
xp (x) dx = x c0 + c1 x2 + ck x2k dx
1 1
Z 1
= c0 x + c1 x3 + ck x2k+1 dx = 0
1

since all terms are odd and the interval is symmetric. Thus p 2 W , so V is a subset of
W . As both V and W are vector spaces, V is a subspace of W .
(c) Show that V 6= W .
Solution: For example, p (x) = 3x 5x3 is in W , but not in V .
(d) Find a basis for W .
Solution: For example, f3x 5x3 ; 5x3 7x5 ; 7x5 9x7 ; : : :g[f1; x2 ; x4 ; : : :g is a basis for
W.

5. Let X be the vector space of all sequences x, with x (n) 2 R for all natural numbers n, and
we de…ne vector addition and scalar multiplication by

(x + y) (n) = x (n) + y (n)

(cx) (n) = c (x (n)) .

Let W be the subset of X consisting of all sequences x such that there exists a natural number
m such that x (n) = 0 for all n m.
 (a) Prove that W is a subspace of X.
Solution: Simply show the zero vector is in W , and that W is closed under addition and
scalar multiplication.
(b) Determine a basis for W .
Solution: A basis is fe1 ; e2 ; e3 ; : : :g where ei (n) = 1 if n = i, and ei (n) = 0 if n 6= i.
(c) Find a subspace V of X such that V is properly contained in X and W is properly
contained in V:
Solution: For example, let y (n) = 1 for all n. Let V = span fy; e1 ; e2 ; e3 ; : : :g :
0 1
1 1 0
6. Let A = @ 1 0 1 A.
2 1 1

(a) Find a singular value decomposition A = U V T.

2 1p 1
p p 32 32 p p 3T
6p
6 2p
2 1=p3 3 0 0 2=p6 p 0 1=p3
T
Solution: U V = 6 p64 1 1
2 1=p3 5 4 0 1 0 5 4 1=p6 1=p2 1=p3 5
2
1 0 0 0
3
6 0 1= 3 1= 6 1= 2 1= 3
(b) Determine the pseudoinverse
2 1 matrix
3 A+ , expressing A+ as a single matrix.
1 2
9 9 9
Solution: A+ = 4 5
9
4
9
1
9
5
4 5 1
9 9 9
(c) Consider the equation
0 1
1
Ax = @ 1 A ;
1
and …nd the 3 squares approximation x with minimum norm.
2 least
0
Solution: 4 0 5
0

25 7i 24i
7. Let A = :
24i 25 + 7i

(a) Show that A is not Hermitian.

25 7i 24i 25 + 7i 24i 25 7i 24i
Solution: A = = 6= =
24i 25 + 7i 24i 25 7i 24i 25 + 7i
A
(b) Prove that A is normal.
Solution:
25 + 7i 24i 25 7i 24i 25 7i 24i 25 + 7i 24
A A AA =
24i 25 7i 24i 25 + 7i 24i 25 + 7i 24i 25
1250 0 1250 0 0 0
= =
0 1250 0 1250 0 0
 (c) Find a unitary matrix U and a diagonal matrix D such that A = U DU .
25 7i 24i 4=5 3=5 25 25i 0 4=5 3=5
Solution: =
24i 25 + 7i 3=5 4=5 0 25 + 25i 3=5 4=5

1 2
8. Let A = . Let W be the subset of M22 consisting of all B such that AB = BA.
2 1

(a) Prove that W is a subspace of M22 .

0 0
Solution: Show the zero vector, B = is in W , and that W is closed under
0 0
addition and scalar multiplication.
(b) Find a basis for W .
a b
Solution: Let B = be in W . Then
c d

1 2 a b a b 1 2 2b + 2c 2d 2a 0 0
= =
2 1 c d c d 2 1 2d 2a 2b 2c 0 0

a b 1 0 0 1
So a = d and b = c, and B = = a +b . A basis is
b a 0 1 1 0
1 0 0 1
; .
0 1 1 0
2 1
(c) Let C = . Show that C 2
= W.
0 1
1 2 2 1 2 1 1 2 2 2
Solution: AC CA = = 6=
2 1 0 1 0 1 2 1 2 2
0 0
.
0 0
(d) De…ne the inner product of two matrices in M22 by hA; Bi = trace AT B . With respect
to this inner product on M22 , determine the projection of C onto W .
1 0 0 1
Solution: First, if B1 = ; and B2 = , then
0 1 1 0
!
T
T 1 0 0 1
hB1 ; B2 i = trace B1 B2 = trace
0 1 1 0
1 0 0 1 0 1
= trace = trace =0
0 1 1 0 1 0
So fB1 ; B2 g forms an orthogonal basis for W . Now
hC; B1 i hC; B2 i
projW C = B1 + B2
hB1 ; B1 i hB2 ; B2 i
trace C T B1 trace C T B2
= B 1 + B2
trace (B1T B1 ) trace (B2T B2 )
! !
T T
2 1 1 0 2 1 0 1
trace trace
0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1
= ! + !
1 0
T
1 0 0 1 0 1
T
0 1 1 0
trace trace
0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0
2 0 0 2
trace trace
1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1
= +
1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0
trace trace
0 1 0 1
3 1 3 1
1 0 0 1 2 2
= + = 1 3 .
2 0 1 2 1 0 2 2