NAME: SOLUTIONS

LINEAR ALGEBRA MIDTERM [EXAM A]

HAROLD SULTAN

I NSTRUCTIONS
(1) Timing: You have 80 minutes for this exam. Some of the questions are harder than
others. Please use your time carefully and do not dwell on any single question for
too long before you answered all the questions you are able to answer. Excluding
the computation question many of the questions can require much thought but
almost always will not require extensive computations. Accordingly if you find
yourself doing long and difficult computations perhaps you are doing more than
you need to.
(2) Types of Questions: There are 4 Multiple Choice Questions, 6 True/False questions, and 1 computation question on the exam. For the True/False and Multiple
Choice Questions you do NOT need to show work or justify your answers. For the
computation question ONLY partial credit will be awarded. For the computation
questions please show your work and provide full solutions, NOT just answers.
Cross out anything that the grader should ignore.
(3) Scoring Breakdown: The 6 True/False questions are worth 2 points each, the 4
Multiple Choice questions are worth 3 points each, and the computation question
is worth 12 points.
Multiple Choice True/False Computation Total
Points
12
12
12
36

HAROLD SULTAN

1. M ULTIPLE C HOICE [3 PTS EACH ]

Question 1.1. Consider the following system of equations:
x1
+ x3
x1
x2
x3
x1 + x2
The above system of linear equations is:
A inconsistent
B consistent with infinitely many solutions
C consistent with a unique solution
D None of the above

= 3
= 1
= 4

ANSWER: C. Row reduction gives a pivot in every row so there is a solution. Moreover,
since there is also a pivot in every column there are no free variables so the solution is
unique.
Question 1.2. Consider the following matrix:

1 1 2
A = 0 1 3
0 0 1

1 2
1 4
0 3

and let T be its corresponding linear map. Which of the following is true:
A
B
C
D

The codomain of T is R5
T is one to one
The range of T is the same as the codomain of T
None of the above

ANSWER: C. The domain is R5 , but the codomain is R3 so A is false. There is pivot in

every row so the map is onto which is equivalent to C. There is not a pivot in every column
so the map is not one to one so B is false. In fact, since its a map from R5 to R3 it cannot
be one to one as 5 > 3.

LINEAR ALGEBRA MIDTERM [EXAM A]

Question 1.3. Consider the following matrix:

1 1
2 1
A=
0
0
1 1
Which of the following statements is true:
A The columns are linearly dependent
B The matrix has determinant -1
C The matrix is not invertible
D None of the above

0 0
0 0

1 0
0 1

ANSWER: D. Computation reveals that the matrix has determinant equal to 1, so B is

false. Moreover, since the determinant is non zero, A and C are false as well by the many
equivalent characterizations of invertible matrices.
Question 1.4. Assume that B is a 3x3 matrix with the property that B 2 = B. Which of
the following statements about the matrix B MUST be true:
A B is invertible
B det(B) = 0
C det(B 5 ) = det(B)
D None of the above must be true
ANSWER: C. Two examples of matrices that satisfy B 2 = B are B = I3 and B = 03x3
where 03x3 is the 3x3 matrix with all zero entries. So A is false because the 0 matrix
satisfies the property but is not invertible. Similarly B is false because the identity matrix
satisfies the property but the determinant of the identity is 1 not 0. C is true because
B 5 = (BB)(BB)B = (B)(B)B = (BB)B = (B)B = BB = B
so B 5 = B and hence in particular det(B 5 ) = det(B).

HAROLD SULTAN

2. T RUE OR FALSE [2 PTS EACH ]

Question 2.1. If for some matrix A, and some vectors ~x, ~b, we have A~x = ~b, then ~b is in
the span of the column vectors of A.
(1) True
(2) False
ANSWER: TRUE. By definition if A~x = ~b, then ~b is a linear combination of the column
vectors of A. This is the same as ~b being in the span of the column vectors of A.
Question 2.2. Let A be an mxn matrix, and assume that the matrix A has a pivot in every
column. Additionally, assume A~v = Aw
~ for some vectors ~v , w
~ Rn . Then ~v = w.
~
(1) True
(2) False
ANSWER: TRUE. If A has a pivot in every column, then A is one to one. By definition
this means that if A~v = Aw,
~ then ~v = w.
~
Question 2.3. If A and B are both invertible nxn matrices, then AB is invertible.
(1) True
(2) False
ANSWER:TRUE. One way to see this is to note that if A and B are invertible then each
of their determinants are nonzero. But then det(AB) = det(A)det(B) is also nonzero
since its a product of two non zero numbers. Hence since det(AB) is nonzero, it follows
that AB is invertible.

LINEAR ALGEBRA MIDTERM [EXAM A]

Question 2.4. Let A be an mxn matrix. Then, the homogeneous equation A~x = ~0 is consistent if and only if the augmented matrix [ A | ~0 ] has a pivot in every row.
(1) True
(2) False
ANSWER:FALSE. The homogeneous equation A~x = ~0 is always consistent. this is
because after row reducing you will never have a row of all zeros and a nonzero in the
augmented part, (because the augmented part is all zeros). In fact the zero vector is always
a solution to a homogeneous equation.
Question 2.5. Let A and B be nxn matrices. Assume that AB = In . Then, BA = In .
(1) True
(2) False
ANSWER:TRUE. Since AB = In it follows from the invertible matrix theorem (the
theorem that gives all the many equivalences for a matrix being invertible) that A and
similarly B are invertible. Moreover, the equation AB = In says that B = A1 Hence in
this case BA = (A1 )A = In .
Question 2.6. Let A be a 3x2 matrix and B a 2x3 matrix. Then the determinant of AB
MUST be zero.
(1) True
(2) False
ANSWER:TRUE. This was probably the hardest question on the exam. You can do this
with a generic computation but that takes time. The best way to see this is to think about
AB a 3x3 matrix as a map
B
A
AB : R3
R2
R3
Then since the map AB first sends R3 to R2 and then R2 to R3 it cannot be onto as even if
the first part sending R3 to R2 is onto, there are no onto maps from R2 to R3 . (similarly AB
cannot be one to one). Hence since AB is not onto, by the invertible matrix theorem of all
the equivalent characterizations of being invertible, AB is not invertible so its determinant
is zero.

HAROLD SULTAN

3. C OMPUTATION Q UESTION [12 POINTS ]

Directions: Show your work

Question 3.1. Let the matrices X =
a (3 pts) Compute X 1 
2
ANSWER: X 1 =
1
this.

b (3 pts) Compute XY X 1
ANSWER:

XY X 1 =

=

=

1
1

1
2

1
1


,

Y =

3
1

1
2



. You have to show your work in computing


3 5
2
1 2
1


2 7
2 1
1 9
1 1

11 9
11 10
1
1

5
2

1
1

LINEAR ALGEBRA MIDTERM [EXAM A]

c (3 pts) Compute det(XY X 1 )

ANSWER:


11 9
det
= (11)(10) (9)(11) = 110 + 99 = 11
11 10

d (3 pts) What is the relationship between det(Y ), and det(XY X 1 ) and why?
ANSWER:


3 5
det(Y ) = det
= (3)(2) (5)(1) = 6 5 = 11.
1 2
so det(XY X 1 ) = det(Y ).
This is not a coincidence. In fact,
det(XY X 1 )

= det(X)det(Y )det(X 1 )
= det(X)det(X 1 )det(Y )
= det(XX 1 )det(Y )
= det(I2 )det(Y )
=

= 1 det(Y ) = det(Y ).