Problem

Points

Midterm
Math 2J, Spring 2012
May 2, 2012
Instructor: Christoph Weiss

Full name:
Student #:

You have 50 minutes to complete the test. It consists of 4 Problems each worth 10 points. You
are not allowed to use any aid but a pen(cil).
If you need more space than what is offered under each problem, use the blank pages at the end
and clearly point out which problem the text on them refers to! If you need additional sheets of
paper, raise your hand and we will give them to you. Write your name on the additional sheets of
paper and again clearly point out which problem you are answering! If your name or the problem
number is missing, your answers on the blank pages at the end or on additional sheets of paper
might not be graded.
If you write down more than one solution, clearly mark which one should be graded! (For example
by crossing out the others.) If there are more than one solution, all will graded and the worst one
determines your score on the problem.
An incorrect answer in Problem 1 will give you a minus point, so you might want to leave a
question unanswered if you do not know the answer. Negative points will not carry over to other
problems though, so the minimum score for Problem 1 is zero.
All matrices are considered to be real matrices!

Problem 1 (10 points) Mark if the following statements are true or false. You do not need to
provide an explanation.
1. If A is an (n n)-matrix and its rows are linearly dependent, then the rows of AT are linearly
dependent.
 True

 False

2. If A and B are (n n)-matrices with the same characteristic polynomial, then A and B have
the same eigenvalues.
 True

 False

3. If A is a singular (n n)-matrix, then A has at least one entry which is zero.

 True

 False

4. If A is a regular (n n)-matrix that can be diagonalized, then A1 can be diagonalized.

 True

 False

5. There are (n n)-matrices A and B such that det(AB) , 0 and det A = 0.

 True

 False

6. If A and B are (n n)-matrices, x is an eigenvector of A belonging to the eigenvalue , and

x is also an eigenvector of B belonging to the eigenvalue , then x is an eigenvector of AB
belonging to the eigenvalue .
 True

 False

7. If A and B are singular (n n)-matrices, then A + B is a singular (n n)-matrix.

 True

 False

8. If A and B are regular (n n)-matrices, then A + B is a regular (n n)-matrix.

 True

 False

9. If A is an (n n)-matrix and x , 0 is such that Ax = 0, then A is singular.

 True

 False

10. If 0 is an eigenvalue of an (n n)-matrix A, then A is singular.

 True

 False

Problem 2 Let

2 3 5

A B 1 1 0 .

1 4 4

a) (4 points) Compute det A.

Solution: One computes that det A = 5.

b) (6 points) Since det A , 0, A is regular. Compute det(A1 ), det(A + A + A), and det(1000A).

Solution:
det(A1 ) =

1
1
=
det A 5

det(A + A + A) = det(3A) = 33 det A = 27 5 = 135

det(1000A) = 10003 det A = 5000000000

Problem 3 (10 points) Diagonalize the matrix

4 3 0

A B 2 3 0 ,

0 0 5
that is, find (3 3)-matrices D and X such that D is a diagonal matrix and
A = XDX 1 .

Solution:




0 
4 3



4

3
3
0  = (5 ) 
pA () =  2


 2
3 
0
0
5 
= (5 )(2 + 6) = (5 )(2 )(3 ),
so the eigenvalues of A are 1 = 5, 2 = 2, and 3 = 3. To find an eigenvector belonging to the
eigenvalue 1 , we solve (A 5I)x1 = 0 and get that x1 = (0 0 1)T is an eigenvector belonging
to 1 . To find an eigenvector belonging to the eigenvalue 2 , we solve (A 2I)x2 = 0 and get
that x2 = (1 2 0)T is an eigenvector belonging to 2 . To find an eigenvector belonging to the
eigenvalue 3 , we solve (A + 3I)x2 = 0 and get that x3 = (3 1 0)T is an eigenvector belonging to
2 . Thus for

0 1 3

X B 0 2 1

1 0 0
and

5 0 0

D B 0 2 0

0 0 3

we have
A = XDX 1 .

Problem 4 (10 points) Let A and B be (n n)-matrices. Show that if AB = I, then BA = I.

(Hint: Consider ABA.)

Solution: We have
A(BA) = (AB)A = A

(1)

as AB = I. But if AB = I, then det A det B = det(AB) = 1, so det A , 0, so A is regular. Thus we

can multiply both sides of (1) with A1 from the left and get
BA = A1 A = I.