## Problem 409

Let $R$ be a ring with $1$. An element of the $R$-module $M$ is called a torsion element if $rm=0$ for some nonzero element $r\in R$.
The set of torsion elements is denoted
$\Tor(M)=\{m \in M \mid rm=0 \text{ for some nonzero} r\in R\}.$

(a) Prove that if $R$ is an integral domain, then $\Tor(M)$ is a submodule of $M$.
(Remark: an integral domain is a commutative ring by definition.) In this case the submodule $\Tor(M)$ is called torsion submodule of $M$.

(b) Find an example of a ring $R$ and an $R$-module $M$ such that $\Tor(M)$ is not a submodule.

(c) If $R$ has nonzero zero divisors, then show that every nonzero $R$-module has nonzero torsion element.

## Problem 408

Let $R$ be a ring with $1$ and $M$ be a left $R$-module.

(a) Prove that $0_Rm=0_M$ for all $m \in M$.

Here $0_R$ is the zero element in the ring $R$ and $0_M$ is the zero element in the module $M$, that is, the identity element of the additive group $M$.
To simplify the notations, we ignore the subscripts and simply write
$0m=0.$ You must be able to and must judge which zero elements are used from the context.

(b) Prove that $r0=0$ for all $s\in R$. Here both zeros are $0_M$.

(c) Prove that $(-1)m=-m$ for all $m \in M$.

(d) Assume that $rm=0$ for some $r\in R$ and some nonzero element $m\in M$. Prove that $r$ does not have a left inverse.

## Problem 407

Let $n$ be an odd integer and let $A$ be an $n\times n$ real matrix.
Prove that the matrix $A$ has at least one real eigenvalue.

## Problem 406

Let $A$ be an $n\times n$ matrix. Suppose that $\mathbf{y}$ is a nonzero row vector such that
$\mathbf{y}A=\mathbf{y}.$ (Here a row vector means a $1\times n$ matrix.)
Prove that there is a nonzero column vector $\mathbf{x}$ such that
$A\mathbf{x}=\mathbf{x}.$ (Here a column vector means an $n \times 1$ matrix.)

## Problem 405

Recall that a complex matrix is called Hermitian if $A^*=A$, where $A^*=\bar{A}^{\trans}$.
Prove that every Hermitian matrix $A$ can be written as the sum
$A=B+iC,$ where $B$ is a real symmetric matrix and $C$ is a real skew-symmetric matrix.

## Problem 404

Let $A$ be an $n\times n$ real matrix.

Prove that if $\lambda$ is an eigenvalue of $A$, then its complex conjugate $\bar{\lambda}$ is also an eigenvalue of $A$.

## Problem 403

Let $A$ be an $n\times n$ matrix. Suppose that $A$ has real eigenvalues $\lambda_1, \lambda_2, \dots, \lambda_n$ with corresponding eigenvectors $\mathbf{u}_1, \mathbf{u}_2, \dots, \mathbf{u}_n$.
Furthermore, suppose that
$|\lambda_1| > |\lambda_2| \geq \cdots \geq |\lambda_n|.$ Let
$\mathbf{x}_0=c_1\mathbf{u}_1+c_2\mathbf{u}_2+\cdots+c_n\mathbf{u}_n$ for some real numbers $c_1, c_2, \dots, c_n$ and $c_1\neq 0$.

Define
$\mathbf{x}_{k+1}=A\mathbf{x}_k \text{ for } k=0, 1, 2,\dots$ and let
$\beta_k=\frac{\mathbf{x}_k\cdot \mathbf{x}_{k+1}}{\mathbf{x}_k \cdot \mathbf{x}_k}=\frac{\mathbf{x}_k^{\trans} \mathbf{x}_{k+1}}{\mathbf{x}_k^{\trans} \mathbf{x}_k}.$

Prove that
$\lim_{k\to \infty} \beta_k=\lambda_1.$

## Problem 402

Let $G$ be a group. Suppose that we have
$(ab)^3=a^3b^3$ for any elements $a, b$ in $G$. Also suppose that $G$ has no elements of order $3$.

Then prove that $G$ is an abelian group.

## Problem 401

Let $G$ be a group. Suppose that
$(ab)^2=a^2b^2$ for any elements $a, b$ in $G$. Prove that $G$ is an abelian group.

## Problem 400

Find all the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the matrix
$A=\begin{bmatrix} 10001 & 3 & 5 & 7 &9 & 11 \\ 1 & 10003 & 5 & 7 & 9 & 11 \\ 1 & 3 & 10005 & 7 & 9 & 11 \\ 1 & 3 & 5 & 10007 & 9 & 11 \\ 1 &3 & 5 & 7 & 10009 & 11 \\ 1 &3 & 5 & 7 & 9 & 10011 \end{bmatrix}.$

(MIT, Linear Algebra Homework Problem)

## Problem 399

Prove that the cubic polynomial $x^3-2$ is irreducible over the field $\Q(i)$.

## Problem 398

Prove that any algebraic closed field is infinite.

## Problem 397

Suppose $A$ is a positive definite symmetric $n\times n$ matrix.

(a) Prove that $A$ is invertible.

(b) Prove that $A^{-1}$ is symmetric.

(c) Prove that $A^{-1}$ is positive-definite.

(MIT, Linear Algebra Exam Problem)

## Problem 396

A real symmetric $n \times n$ matrix $A$ is called positive definite if
$\mathbf{x}^{\trans}A\mathbf{x}>0$ for all nonzero vectors $\mathbf{x}$ in $\R^n$.

(a) Prove that the eigenvalues of a real symmetric positive-definite matrix $A$ are all positive.

(b) Prove that if eigenvalues of a real symmetric matrix $A$ are all positive, then $A$ is positive-definite.

## Problem 395

Suppose that the vectors
$\mathbf{v}_1=\begin{bmatrix} -2 \\ 1 \\ 0 \\ 0 \\ 0 \end{bmatrix}, \qquad \mathbf{v}_2=\begin{bmatrix} -4 \\ 0 \\ -3 \\ -2 \\ 1 \end{bmatrix}$ are a basis vectors for the null space of a $4\times 5$ matrix $A$. Find a vector $\mathbf{x}$ such that
$\mathbf{x}\neq0, \quad \mathbf{x}\neq \mathbf{v}_1, \quad \mathbf{x}\neq \mathbf{v}_2,$ and
$A\mathbf{x}=\mathbf{0}.$

(Stanford University, Linear Algebra Exam Problem)

## Problem 394

Determine the values of $x$ so that the matrix
$A=\begin{bmatrix} 1 & 1 & x \\ 1 &x &x \\ x & x & x \end{bmatrix}$ is invertible.
For those values of $x$, find the inverse matrix $A^{-1}$.

## Problem 393

(a) Let $A$ be a $6\times 6$ matrix and suppose that $A$ can be written as
$A=BC,$ where $B$ is a $6\times 5$ matrix and $C$ is a $5\times 6$ matrix.

Prove that the matrix $A$ cannot be invertible.

(b) Let $A$ be a $2\times 2$ matrix and suppose that $A$ can be written as
$A=BC,$ where $B$ is a $2\times 3$ matrix and $C$ is a $3\times 2$ matrix.

Can the matrix $A$ be invertible?

## Problem 392

Let $V$ be the subspace of $\R^4$ defined by the equation
$x_1-x_2+2x_3+6x_4=0.$ Find a linear transformation $T$ from $\R^3$ to $\R^4$ such that the null space $\calN(T)=\{\mathbf{0}\}$ and the range $\calR(T)=V$. Describe $T$ by its matrix $A$.

## Problem 391

(a) Is the matrix $A=\begin{bmatrix} 1 & 2\\ 0& 3 \end{bmatrix}$ similar to the matrix $B=\begin{bmatrix} 3 & 0\\ 1& 2 \end{bmatrix}$?

(b) Is the matrix $A=\begin{bmatrix} 0 & 1\\ 5& 3 \end{bmatrix}$ similar to the matrix $B=\begin{bmatrix} 1 & 2\\ 4& 3 \end{bmatrix}$?

(c) Is the matrix $A=\begin{bmatrix} -1 & 6\\ -2& 6 \end{bmatrix}$ similar to the matrix $B=\begin{bmatrix} 3 & 0\\ 0& 2 \end{bmatrix}$?

(d) Is the matrix $A=\begin{bmatrix} -1 & 6\\ -2& 6 \end{bmatrix}$ similar to the matrix $B=\begin{bmatrix} 1 & 2\\ -1& 4 \end{bmatrix}$?

## Problem 390

Prove that if $A$ and $B$ are similar matrices, then their determinants are the same.