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Math 221: Matrix Algebra

Practice Midterm 2
(1) Indicate whether each of the following hold by writing the complete word True or False (you will
lose points for simply writing T or F). You do not need to justify your answers.
(a) If A and B are n n matrices, and AB = 0, then either A = 0 or B = 0. (Here 0 denotes the
n n zero matrix.)

(b) Every n n invertible matrix is row equivalent to the n n identity matrix.

(c) Every matrix is the standard matrix of a linear transformation.

(d) If A and B are invertible n n matrices, then (AB)1 = A1 B 1 .

(e) If a set S of vectors spans Rn , then S is linearly dependent.

(f) If A is not invertible, then AT is not invertible.

(2) Indicate whether or not each of the following is a linear subspace by writing either yes, if it is a
linear subspace, and otherwise no. You do not need to justify your answers.

x1

(a) x2 R3 : x1 + x2 x3 = 0 .

x3

(b) The union of two subspaces of Rn .

(c) The set {0} consisting of the zero vector in Rn .

(d) The set of vectors in R4 whose third coordinate is 1.

(3) Answer each of the following:

(a) Compute the determinant of the following matrix A:

1 1 2 1/3
0
0 1 5

A=
1 2 1 7
0
0 0 3

(b) Is the following matrix B invertible? If not, explain why. If so, compute its inverse.

1 1 2
0 1
A= 0
1 2 1

(4) Let A = (a1 a2 a3 a4 a5 ) be the 4 5 matrix whose columns are the vectors a1 , a2 , a3 , a4 , and a5
in R4 . Suppose the reduced echelon form of A is

1 1 0 1 0
0
0 1 1 0

REF(A) =
0
0 0
0 1
0
0 0
0 0
(a) What is the rank of A?

(b) What is the dimension of the nullspace of A?

(c) Give a basis for the column space of A.

(d) Give a basis for the nullspace of A.

(5) Let A be the matrix with columns a1 , . . . , an Rn . We use the notation:

det(a1 , . . . , an ) = det(A)
(a) Write True or False (not T or F) to indicate whether or not the following always holds:
The number det(a1 , . . . , an ) is nonzero if and only if the set of vectors {a1 , . . . , an }
is linearly independent.

(b) Suppose the vectors v and w are in R3 . We define a transformation S : R3 R by

S(x) = det(x, v, w)
Suppose that the set {v, w} is linearly independent. Is S one-to-one? Onto? Justify your
answers.

(c) What if we had assumed in (b) that the set {v, w} is linearly dependent. Is S one-to-one?
Onto? Again, justify your answers.

(d) Suppose that T : R3 R is defined by:

T (x) = det(3v, x, 2v + w)
where v and w are as in Part (b). Recall that S : R3 R was defined in Part (b) to be
S(x) = det(x, v, w).
If S(u) = 2, what is T (u)?

(e) Let S : R3 R be as in Part (b). Let

v1
v = v2
v3

w1
w = w2
w3

Express the standard matrix for S : R3 R in terms of v1 , v2 , v3 and w1 , w2 , w3 .