All the Eigenvectors of a Matrix Are Eigenvectors of Another Matrix
Problem 51
Let $A$ and $B$ be an $n \times n$ matrices.
Suppose that all the eigenvalues of $A$ are distinct and the matrices $A$ and $B$ commute, that is $AB=BA$.
Then prove that each eigenvector of $A$ is an eigenvector of $B$.
(It could be that each eigenvector is an eigenvector for distinct eigenvalues.)
Since $A$ has $n$ distinct eigenvalues, the characteristic polynomial for $A$ factors into the product of degree $1$ polynomials.
Thus, the algebraic multiplicity of each eigenvalue is, $1$ and hence the geometric multiplicity is also $1$.
(The geometric multiplicity is always less than or equal to the algebraic multiplicity and greater than 0 by definition.)
Thus the dimension of each eigenspace, which is the geometric multiplicity, is $1$.
Let $\lambda$ be an eigenvalue of the matrix $A$ and let $\mathbf{x}$ be the eigenvector corresponding to $\lambda$.
Since the eigenspace $E_{\lambda}$ for $\lambda$ is one dimensional and $\mathbf{x}\in E_{\lambda}$ is a nonzero vector in it, the vector $\mathbf{x}$ is a basis.
That is, we have $E_{\lambda}=\{t\mathbf{x} \mid t\in \C \}$.
Now we multiply $A\mathbf{x}=\lambda \mathbf{x}$ by the matrix $B$ on the left and obtain
\begin{align*}
BA\mathbf{x}&=\lambda B\mathbf{x}\\
\iff \,\,\,\, AB\mathbf{x}&=\lambda B\mathbf{x} \text{ since } AB=BA.
\end{align*}
This implies that $B\mathbf{x} \in E_{\lambda}=\{t\mathbf{x} \mid t\in \C \}$. Therefore there exists $t\in \C$ such that $B \mathbf{x}= t\mathbf{x}$.
Hence the vector $\mathbf{x}$ is also an eigenvector corresponding to the eigenvalue $t$ of the matrix $B$.
This completes the proof.
Maximize the Dimension of the Null Space of $A-aI$
Let
\[ A=\begin{bmatrix}
5 & 2 & -1 \\
2 &2 &2 \\
-1 & 2 & 5
\end{bmatrix}.\]
Pick your favorite number $a$. Find the dimension of the null space of the matrix $A-aI$, where $I$ is the $3\times 3$ identity matrix.
Your score of this problem is equal to that […]
Quiz 13 (Part 2) Find Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors of a Special Matrix
Find all eigenvalues of the matrix
\[A=\begin{bmatrix}
0 & i & i & i \\
i &0 & i & i \\
i & i & 0 & i \\
i & i & i & 0
\end{bmatrix},\]
where $i=\sqrt{-1}$. For each eigenvalue of $A$, determine its algebraic multiplicity and geometric […]
How to Diagonalize a Matrix. Step by Step Explanation.
In this post, we explain how to diagonalize a matrix if it is diagonalizable.
As an example, we solve the following problem.
Diagonalize the matrix
\[A=\begin{bmatrix}
4 & -3 & -3 \\
3 &-2 &-3 \\
-1 & 1 & 2
\end{bmatrix}\]
by finding a nonsingular […]
Eigenvalues and Algebraic/Geometric Multiplicities of Matrix $A+cI$
Let $A$ be an $n \times n$ matrix and let $c$ be a complex number.
(a) For each eigenvalue $\lambda$ of $A$, prove that $\lambda+c$ is an eigenvalue of the matrix $A+cI$, where $I$ is the identity matrix. What can you say about the eigenvectors corresponding to […]
Quiz 13 (Part 1) Diagonalize a Matrix
Let
\[A=\begin{bmatrix}
2 & -1 & -1 \\
-1 &2 &-1 \\
-1 & -1 & 2
\end{bmatrix}.\]
Determine whether the matrix $A$ is diagonalizable. If it is diagonalizable, then diagonalize $A$.
That is, find a nonsingular matrix $S$ and a diagonal matrix $D$ such that […]
Quiz 12. Find Eigenvalues and their Algebraic and Geometric Multiplicities
(a) Let
\[A=\begin{bmatrix}
0 & 0 & 0 & 0 \\
1 &1 & 1 & 1 \\
0 & 0 & 0 & 0 \\
1 & 1 & 1 & 1
\end{bmatrix}.\]
Find the eigenvalues of the matrix $A$. Also give the algebraic multiplicity of each eigenvalue.
(b) Let
\[A=\begin{bmatrix}
0 & 0 & 0 & 0 […]