Linear Algebra

Exercise sheet 4

1. Given the matrix  

1 2 3 2
A = 2 −1 2 −4
3 1 −4 −1
consider the systems S o : Ax = 0, S : Ax = (3, 1, 4)t .
(a) Find all the solutions of S o .
(b) Check s = (1, 1, 0, 0)t is a solution of S.
(c) Check that if σ is a vector representing the parametric solution of S o , s + σ is the parametric
solution of S.

2. Let A be a matrix, b 6= 0 a vector such that S : Ax = b is a compatible system, s1 , s2 solutions of

S.
(a) Prove s2 − s1 is a solution of the homogeneous system S o : Ax = 0.
(b) Using the previous part, prove that any solution of S can be written as s1 + σ, with σ a
solution di S o .

3. Find the values of k ∈ R for wich the vector (−2, 1, k) is a linear combination of the vectors
(0, 3, −2), (−1, 2, 5). For those values, write explicitely the linear combination giving (−2, 1, k)
   
2 1
4. Given the vectors u = 1 , v = 2 ∈ R3 .
0 0
(a) show they are linearly independent
(b) find the set of all vectors x ∈ R3 such that x is no a linear combination of the vectors u e v.
     
k 0 −1
5. Given the three vectors v 1 =  0  , v 2 =  k  , v 3 = −1 ∈ R3
−1 −1 k
(a) Find the values of k ∈ R such that they are linearly independent.
(b) Set k = 0 write, if possible, v3 as a linear combination of v 1 e v 2 .
√
(c) Set k = 2, write, if possible, v3 as a linear combination of v 1 e v 2 .
     
−2 4 2k
6. Given the three vectors v 1 =  1  , v 2 = −4 , v 3 = −2 − k  ∈ R3
0 1 1
(a) For which values of k ∈ R the vectors are independent?
(b) write, if possible, v3 as a linear combination of v 1 e v 2 .

7. Write the polynomial −x2 + 7 as a linear combination of the polynomials x2 − 2x + 5, 2x2 , x + 1.

   
u1 v1
8. Consider two linearly independent vectors u = ,v = ∈ R2 vettori Show that the
u2 v2
vectors u + v, u − v are also linearly independent. Then show the same result for two vectors u, v
of any vector space V .
 9. A square matrix A is symmetric iff aij = aji , i = 1. . . . , n; j = 1, . . . , n, antisymmetric if aij =
−aji i = 1. . . . , n; j = 1, . . . , n. (Careful: in both cases we have equations also for the elements of
the diagonal aii = ±aii ).
(a) How many free parameters are needed to describe the sets of symmetric and antisymmetric
3 × 3 matrices ?
(b) How many free parameters are needed to describe the sets of symmetric and antisymmetric
n × n matrices ?

10. Which of the following subsets of R2 are vector spaces with the usual operations? Explain briefly
why.    
x 2 x
E1 = { ∈ R : x = 2y}, E2 = { ∈ R2 : x = 2y e 2x = y},
y y
   
x 2 x
E3 = { ∈ R : xy = 0}, E4 = { ∈ R2 : x ≥ 0 e y ≥ 0}
y y

11. Let v 1 , v 2 , v 3 , v 4 ∈ R3 , be vectors. Suppose v 1 = v 2 + 3v 4 .

(a) Find a linear combination a1 v 1 + a2 v 2 + a3 v 3 + a4 v 4 = 0 with at least one of the ai ’s nonzero.
(b) Are the vectors v 2 , v 3 , v 4 lineary independent? Explain your answer. (Hint: the answer
could be: yes, no, not enough information to tell. In the first two cases give a proof, in the
latter case find four vectors of R3 satisfying the hypothesis v 1 = v 2 + 3v 4 which are linearly
independent, and other four vectors satisfying the same which are not).