Answer ALL questions from Section A.

All questions from Section B may be attempted, but only marks obtained on the best two
solutions from Section B will count.
The use of an electronic calculator is not permitted in this examination.

Section A

1. (a) Give the definition of a system of real linear equations.

(b) Describe the types of elementary row operations that may be applied to a real
matrix.
(c) Use the Gauss-Jordan process to solve the following system:

x1 −2x3 +x4 = 4
x1 −x2 +x3 +x4 = 4
2x1 +x2 −7x3 +2x4 = 8
x2 −3x3 +x4 = 3

(d) State whether or not the following real matrix is invertible:

 
1 0 −2 1
1 −1 1 1
 
2 1 −7 2
0 1 −3 1

Justify you answer; you may quote any relevant result(s) from our course.

2. (a) (i) Define what it means to say that a square matrix A is invertible.
(ii) For invertible square matrices A, B, C, of the same size, prove that the
product ABC is also invertible and find its inverse.
(b) Consider the matrix  
1 3 −1
A = −1 −1 −2
2 7 −3
Find the inverse of A, by row reducing the augmented matrix ( A | I3 ), where
I3 is the 3 × 3 identity matrix.
(c) Show that, if A is a square matrix satisfying A8 = 0, then the matrix A2 − I
is invertible, and find the inverse of A2 − I.
MATH6403 PLEASE TURN OVER

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 3. (a) Give the definition of a real linear map T from Rn to Rm .
(b) Let T be a real linear map from Rn to Rm .
(i) Define the kernel of T .
(ii) Define the image of T .
(c) Prove that, if T is a real linear map from Rn to Rm , then the image of T is a
real subspace of Rm .
(d) Consider the real linear map T : R3 → R3 , expressed as follows:
        
x1 x1 + 2x2 + x3 x1 1 2 1 x1
T x2 = 2x1 + 5x2 − 2x3
    i.e. T x2 = 2 5 −2
    x2 
x3 3x1 + 5x2 + 7x3 x3 3 5 7 x3

(i) Find a basis for the kernel of T .

(ii) Find a basis for the image of T .
(You are not required to verify that your answers to (d)(i), (d)(ii) are bases.)

MATH6403 CONTINUED

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 Section B

4. (a) (i) Suppose that A is an upper triangular matrix of size n × n. Write down
the determinant of A as a product of entries from A.
(ii) Let M be a matrix of size n × n and E be an elementary matrix of size
n × n. Write down an equation relating the determinants of the matrices
M , E and EM .
(b) If A and B are real matrices of size n × n, then
det(AB) = det(A)det(B)
Prove this in the case for which A and B are non-invertible matrices.
In your proof, you may assume that, for a real n × n matrix M :
· the matrix M is invertible if and only if, for every vector b in Rn , the
equation M x = b has a unique solution;
· the matrix M is invertible if and only if det(M ) 6= 0.
(c) Consider the following real matrix:
 
1 2 3 4
2 3 6 5
C = 
1

3 3 3
−1 1 0 3
(i) Compute the determinant of C, by using elementary row operations to
transform it to an upper triangular matrix.
(ii) Write down the determinant of C −2 . Justify your answer.

5. (a) Consider the set of real polynomials of degree smaller than or equal to 2:
R[x]2 = a2 x2 + a1 x + a0 : a0 , a1 , a2 ∈ R


with an inner product defined as follows, for f (x), g(x) in R[x]2 :

Z 1
hf (x), g(x)i = f (x)g(x) dx
−1

(i) Compute the norm of the polynomial 2x.

(ii) Apply the Gram-Schmidt orthonormalisation process to the following set
of polynomials in R[x]2 :
{2x , 3x + 1}
(iii) Given that x2 is orthogonal to 5x2 + a, determine the value of a.
(b) Determine a Fourier series for the function f : [−π, +π) → R, defined as follows

−3 if −π 6 x < 0
f (x) =
+3 if 0 6 x < +π
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 6. (a) State what it means to say that a square matrix D is a diagonal matrix.
(b) Consider a square matrix A, and suppose that there exists an invertible matrix
P such that P −1 AP = D is a diagonal matrix.
Show that, for any positive integer n:

An = P Dn P −1

(c) Consider the complex matrix

 
1 2i
A =
−2i 4

(i) Determine the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of A.

(ii) Hence, write down an invertible matrix P and a diagonal matrix D such
that P −1 AP = D, and determine a formula for the matrix An (where n is
any positive integer).
(iii) Verify that, if u and w are eigenvectors of A corresponding to distinct
eigenvalues, then u and w are orthogonal with respect to the standard
complex inner product.

MATH6403 END OF PAPER