Homework 5

Math 223 - Spring 2022

Due Wednesday 3/9/22

Numbered exercises are from Section 1.6 (pp. 29-30) in Linear Algebra Done
Wrong.

1. Exercise 6.1.
Solution: We need to show that Av 1 , . . . , Av n is spanning and linearly
independent.
Spanning: Let w ∈ W . Then A−1 w ∈ V . Since v 1 , . . . , v n is a spanning
set in V , there are scalars c1 , . . . , cn such that A−1 w = c1 v 1 + · · · + cn v n .
Then:

w = A(A−1 w) = A(c1 v 1 + · · · + cn v n ) = c1 Av 1 + · · · + cn Av n .

This shows that w is a linear combination of Av 1 , . . . , Av n , so this is a

spanning set in W .
Linearly independent: Suppose c1 Av 1 + · · · + cAv n = 0W for some scalars
c1 , . . . , cn . Then A(c1 v 1 + · · · + cn v n ) = 0W , so:

c1 v 1 + · · · + cn v n = A−1 (A(c1 v 1 + · · · + cn v n )) = A−1 (0W ) = 0V .

Since v 1 , . . . , v n is linearly independent, c1 = · · · = cn = 0. Thus

Av 1 , . . . , Av n is linearly independent.
2. Exercise 6.2. (Note: To make sense of this problem, you need to ask
yourself “What is the 1 × 1 identity matrix I1 ?”)


Solution: Multiplication by the (1 × 2) matrix A = 1 1 is a linear
transformation F2 → F1 . A right inverse of A corresponds to a linear
transformation B : F1 → F2 such that A ◦ B : F1 → F1  is the
 identity
x
transformation. So a right inverse is a (2 × 1) matrix B = such that

y
AB = I1 = 1 , the 1 × 1 identity matrix.
Thus we have  

x


AB = 1 1 = x+y = 1 .
y
 
x
Any matrix B = such that x + y = 1 is a right inverse to A.
y

1
 If A also had a left inverse, then every right inverse would be equal to the
left inverse (by what we proved in class) and hence equal to each other.
This is a contradiction, since A has many distinct right inverses. Thus A
is not left invertible.
3. Exercise 6.6.
Solution: Since the multiplication AB makes sense, A is m × n and B is
n × k for some m, n, and k. Then AB is m × k.
Suppose AB is invertible with inverse C, so C is k × m.
Since B is n × k, the multiplication BC makes sense and is n × m, and:
A(BC) = (AB)C = I,
so A is right invertible with right inverse BC.
Since A is m × n, the multiplication CA makes sense and is k × n, and:
(CA)B = C(AB) = I,
so B is left invertible with left inverse CA.
4. Exercise 6.7.
Solution: Since the multiplication AB makes sense, A is m × n and B is
n × k for some m, n, and k. Then AB is m × k and has an inverse (AB)−1
which is k × m.
I claim that (AB)−1 A is the inverse of B. Note that the multiplication
makes sense and is k × n.
In one direction, [(AB)−1 A]B = (AB)−1 (AB) = I.
In the other direction, we would like to show that B[(AB)−1 A] = I.
Note first that AB(AB)−1 = I. Multiplying on the left by A−1 , we
have B(AB)−1 = A−1 I = A−1 . Multiplying on the right by A, we have
B(AB)−1 A = A−1 A = I, as desired.
5. Exercise 6.9.
Solution: If AB = 0 for some non-zero matrix B, then A cannot be
invertible. Indeed, if A is invertible, then A−1 AB = A−1 0, so B = 0,
since the product of any matrix and the zero matrix is the zero matrix.
This contradicts our assumption that B ̸= 0.
6. Exercise 6.10.
Solution: First, we give the matrices for T1 and T2 :
   
1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 a 0
   
0
[T1 ] =  0 1 0 0 0
[T2 ] =  0 1 0 0

0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0

2
 T1 is invertible with T1−1 = T1 . Indeed, T1 ◦ T1 = I:
      
x1 x1 x1
 x2  x4  x2 
      
T1 x3  = T1 x3  = x3  .
T1       
 x4  x2  x4 
x5 x5 x5

T2 is also invertible. Its inverse T2−1 adds −ax4 to the second coordinate
x2 and does not change other coordinates:
   
x1 x1
x2  x2 − ax4 
−1  
   
T2 x3  =   x3  .

x4   x4 
x5 x5

Let’s check:
        
x1 x1 x1 x1
 x2  x2 + ax4  x2 + ax4 − ax4  x2 
T2−1  −1 
        
T2 x3  = T2  x3  =  x3
     = x3  .
  
 x4   x4   x4  x4 
x5 x5 x5 x5
        
x1 x1 x1 x1
 x2  x2 − ax4  x2 − ax4 + ax4  x2 
 −1        
T2 x3  = T2  x3  =  x3
T2        =  x3  .
  
 x4   x4   x4   x4 
x5 x5 x5 x5

Now we give the matrices for T1−1 and T2−1 :

   
1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 −a 0
[T1−1 ] =  [T2−1 ] = 
   
0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0

7. Exercise 6.12.
Solution:
   
1 0 −1 0
(a) A = and B = . A is invertible with inverse A
0 1 0 −1
and B is invertible with inverse B. But A + B is the zero matrix,
which is not invertible.

3
    
1 0 0 0
(b) A = and B = . A is not invertible because for any
0 0 0 1
2 × 2 matrix C, the bottom-right entry of AC is 0. B is not invertible
because for any 2 × 2 matrix C, the top-left entry of BC is 0. But
A + B is the identity matrix, which is invertible.
 
1 0
(c) A = B = . A and B are both the identity matrix, which
0 1
 
2 0
is invertible. And A + B = which is invertible with inverse
0 2
1 
2 0
.
0 21