Sample Midterm

Math 2J, Spring 2012

April, 2012
Instructor: Christoph Weiss

Full name:
Student #:

You have 50 minutes to complete the test. You are not allowed to use any aid but a pen(cil).
If you need more space than what is offered under each problem, use the blank pages at the end
and clearly point out which problem the text on them refers to! If you need additional sheets of
paper, raise your hand and we will give them to you. Write your name on the additional sheets of
paper and again clearly point out which problem you are answering! If your name or the problem
number is missing, your answers on the blank pages at the end or on additional sheets of paper
might not be graded.
If you write down more than one solution, clearly mark which one should be graded! (For example
by crossing out the others.) If there are more than one solution, all will graded and the worst one
determines your score on the problem.
An incorrect answer in Problem 1 will give you a minus point, so you might want to leave a
question unanswered if you do not know the answer. Negative points will not carry over to other
problems though, so the minimum score for Problem 1 is zero.

Problem 1 (10 points) Mark if the following statements are true or false. You do not need to
provide an explanation.
1. If A is a regular (n n)-matrix, then the system Ax = b has exactly one solution x for any
b n .
 True

 False

2. If A is a singular (n n)-matrix, then the system Ax = 0 has exactly one solution.

 True

 False

3. If A is a regular matrix, then (AT )1 = (A1 )T .

 True

 False

4. If A is an (n n)-matrix, then det(A + A) = det A + det A.

 True

 False

5. There are (n n)-matrices A and B such that at least one of A and B is singular but AB is
regular.
 True

 False

6. If A is a singular (n n)-matrix, then A has at least one real eigenvalue.

 True

 False

7. There is an (n n)-matrix A such that the columns of A are linearly dependent but the rows
of A are linearly independent.
 True

 False

8. If A is an (n n)-matrix and n is odd, then A has at least one real eigenvalue.

 True

 False

9. If A is an (n n)-matrix with n different eigenvalues, then A can be diagonalized.

 True

 False

10. If A is a regular (n n)-matrix and is an eigenvalue of A, then , 0 and

of A1 .
 True

 False

is an eigenvalue

Problem 2 (5 points) Diagonalize the matrix

!
3 2
AB
,
3 4
that is, find (2 2)-matrices D and X such that D is a diagonal matrix and
A = XDX 1 .

Solution:


3 2 
pA () = 
= (3 )(4 ) + 6 = 2 6 = ( 3)( + 2),
 3
4 
so the eigenvalues of A are 1 = 3 and 2 = 2. To find an eigenvector belonging to the eigenvalue
1 , we solve (A 3I)x1 = 0 and find
!
!
6 2
3 1

,
3 1
0 0
so x1 = (1 3)T is an eigenvector belonging to 1 . To find an eigenvector belonging to the
eigenvalue 2 , we solve (A + 2I)x2 = 0 and find
!
!
1 2
1 2

,
3 6
0 0
so x2 = (2 1)T is an eigenvector belonging to 2 . Thus for
!
1 2
XB
3 1
and
3 0
DB
0 2

we have
A = XDX 1 .

Problem 3 (5 points) Let

2 1 1

A B 5 0 1 .

7 5 6
a) (2 points) Compute det A and tr A.

Solution:



 

 2 1 1




2
1
1
1
 + 
= 5(1) + 17 = 12.
det A = 5 0 1 = 5 
 5 6  7 5 


7 5 6

tr A = 2 + 0 + 6 = 8.

b) (1 point) Show that x B (1 1 1)T is an eigenvector belonging to the eigenvalue 1 = 4 of A.

Solution:

2 1 1 1 2 1 1 4
1

Ax = 5 0 1 1 = 5 + 0 1 = 4 = 4 1 = 4x.

7 5 6
1
7 + 5 + 6
4
1

c) (2 points) A has two other eigenvalues 2 and 3 . Compute them. (Hint: Use a) and b).)

Solution: As 1 + 2 + 3 = tr A = 8, we have that 3 = 4 2 . Furthermore 12 = det A =

1 2 3 = 42 (4 2 ), so 2 (4 2 ) = 3. So 2 = 1 and 3 = 3, or the other way around.

Problem 4 (5 points) Invert the matrix

2 1 2

A B 3 1 2 .

1 2 1
Then solve the system Ax = b for b = (7 7 8)T .

Solution: Using elementary row operations one calculates that

3 3 0
1

A1 = 1 0 2 .

3
5 3 1
Therefore the solution x to Ax = b is

0

x = A1 b = 3 .

2

Problem 5 (5 points) A matrix A is called idempotent if A2 = A. Let A be a regular idempotent

(n n)-matrix. Suppose A is diagonalizable, i.e., A = X 1 DX where D is a diagonal matrix.
Determine D.

Solution: We have D = XAX 1 and thus D2 = (XAX 1 )(XAX 1 ) = XA2 X 1 = XAX 1 = D, so

D is also idempotent. But D = (di j ) is a diagonal matrix, so dii = dii2 for all 1 i n, so either
dii = 0 or dii = 1. But A is regular, so D is regular, so that dii = 1. Thus D is the identity matrix.