Tutorial Sheet 1

1 2 3 4

1. Let A =

5 6 linear combination of the rows of B , and (ii) the second column of AB as a linear combination of the columns of A. 2. An n n matrix A = [aij ] is called symmetric if aij = aji for all pairs (i, j ), 1 i, j n. Let A and B be symmetric matrices of the same size. Show that AB is a symmetric matrix if and only if AB = BA.

and B =

1 2 3 4 5 6

Write (i) the second row of AB as a

3. A square matrix A is called nilpotent if Ak = O for some positive integer k . Let A and B be nilpotent matrices of the same size. (i) Show by an example that A + B need not be nilpotent. (ii) Prove that A + B is nilpotent if A and B commute with each other (that is, if AB = BA). [Hint: Use the binomial expansion of (A + B )k .] 4. A square matrix A = [aij ] is called upper triangular if aij = 0 for all j < i. A lower triangular matrix is dened similarly (or equivalently, as the transpose of an upper triangular matrix). Prove that the sum as well as the product of two upper triangular matrices of the same size is upper triangular. 5. The trace of a square matrix A = [aij ] is dened as the sum of its diagonal elements, that is, tr A :=
i

aii . Prove that if A, B are square matrices of the same size and

, are scalars, then (a) tr (A + B ) = tr (A) + tr (B ). (b) tr(AB ) = tr(BA). (c) If A is invertible, then tr (ABA1 ) = tr (B ). 6. Solve the following system of linear equations in the unknowns x1 , . . . , x4 by the Gauss Elimination Method: (i) 2x2 2x3 +x4 2x1 x1 8x2 +3x2 +14x3 5x4 +x4 =2 =2 =8 3x1 (ii) 2 x1 2x2 2x2 x2 +x3 +x3 +4x3 +x4 x4 2x4 =1 =2 = 2

7. If A is symmetric, and a11

a 22 . = 0, then show that the matrix . .

(1)

. . . a2n

(1)

ob-

. . . a(1) nn tained after the rst step of the Gauss Elimination Method is symmetric.

(1) an2

8. Obtain the row canonical form of the following matrices.

2 1

4 4 2 0

20 4

1 3 5

1 1 4 1

(i)

(ii)

1 2

2 6

2 3

1 . 0 1