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EigenvaluesandEigenfunctions

Eigenvectorsmakeunderstandinglineartransformationseasy.Theyarethe
"axes"(directions)alongwhichalineartransformationactssimplyby
"stretching/compressing"and/or"flipping";eigenvaluesgiveyouthefactors
bywhichthiscompressionoccurs.
ConsideramatrixA,foranexampleonerepresentingaphysical
transformation.Whenthismatrixisusedtotransformagivenvectorxthe
resultisy=Ax.
Nowaninterestingquestionisarethereanyvectorsxwhichdoesnot
changeit'sdirectionunderthistransformation?Howeverallowthe
vectormagnitudetovarybyscalar.
SuchaquestionisoftheformAx=x.
Sosuchspecialxarecalledeigenvectorsandthechangeinmagnitude
dependsontheeigenvalue

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