School of Mathematics and Statistics University of New South Wales

MATH2501 Linear Algebra

SESSION 2, 2021 TEST 2 Version A

Student’s Surname Initials Student Number

Questions: 4 Pages: 2 Total marks: 15 Time allowed: 45min work time + 15min upload time


Q1 [3 marks] Let W = span x1 , x2 , where



x1 = 0, 1, −1, 2 and x2 = 1, 0, 4, −4 .

Let PW : R4 → R4 be the orthogonal projection onto W .

a) Use the maple output at the back of this test paper, or otherwise, to find an orthonormal basis in W .
b) Use the maple output at the back of this test paper, or otherwise, to find PW (e1 + e2 ), where e1 , e2 are the
first two vectors of the standard basis in R4 .

Q2 [2 marks] a) Define what it means that the complex number 5 is an eigenvalue of a matrix A ∈ M3,3 (C).
b) Define what it means that the non-zero vector (1, −1, 0) ∈ C3 is an eigenvector of a matrix A ∈ M3,3 (C).


Q3 [5 marks] a) Explain what it means that a map ·, · : R2 → R is positive definite.


b) Write an example of a map ·, · : R2 → R which is not the dot product and which is positive definite. You
do not have to prove that your example is positive definite.


c) Write an example of a map ·, · : R2 → R which is not positive definite.
d) Prove that your example in the preceding part is not positive definite.




Q4 [5 marks] Let x = x1 , x2 , x3 ∈ R3 , a = a1 , a2 , a3 ∈ R3 , b = b1 , b2 , b3 ∈ R3 and let

x1 a1 b1
 



T x = det x a b = det x2 a2 b2  .
 

x3 a3 b3

a) Find T (e1 ) where e1 is the first standard basis vector in R3 .

b) Use the symbol T (x) to explain what it means that the determinant of 3 × 3 matrix is a linear map with
respect to the first column.
c) Use the result in the preceding part, or otherwise, to prove that T (a + b) = 0. Hint: You can use without
proof the fact that the determinant of a 3 × 3 matrix with two identical columns is zero.

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School of Mathematics and Statistics University of New South Wales

Maple Output:

> Q, R := QRDecomposition(< <0, 1, -1, 2> | <1, 0, 4, -4> >);

[ 0 1/3]
[ ]
[ 1/2 ]
[ 6 ]
[ ---- 2/3]
[ 6 ]
[ ] [ 1/2 1/2]
Q, R := [ 1/2 ], [6 -2 6 ]
[ 6 ] [ ]
[- ---- 2/3] [ 0 3 ]
[ 6 ]
[ ]
[ 1/2 ]
[ 6 ]
[ ---- 0 ]
[ 3 ]

> Q . Transpose(Q);
[1/9 2/9 2/9 0
]
[ ]
[ 11 ]
[2/9 -- 5/18 1/3 ]
[ 18 ]
[ ]
[ 11 ]
[2/9 5/18 -- -1/3]
[ 18 ]
[ ]
[ 0 1/3 -1/3 2/3 ]

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