Tagged: matrix multiplication

A Matrix Commuting With a Diagonal Matrix with Distinct Entries is Diagonal

Problem 492

Let
\[D=\begin{bmatrix}
d_1 & 0 & \dots & 0 \\
0 &d_2 & \dots & 0 \\
\vdots & & \ddots & \vdots \\
0 & 0 & \dots & d_n
\end{bmatrix}\] be a diagonal matrix with distinct diagonal entries: $d_i\neq d_j$ if $i\neq j$.
Let $A=(a_{ij})$ be an $n\times n$ matrix such that $A$ commutes with $D$, that is,
\[AD=DA.\] Then prove that $A$ is a diagonal matrix.

 
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Basis For Subspace Consisting of Matrices Commute With a Given Diagonal Matrix

Problem 287

Let $V$ be the vector space of all $3\times 3$ real matrices.
Let $A$ be the matrix given below and we define
\[W=\{M\in V \mid AM=MA\}.\] That is, $W$ consists of matrices that commute with $A$.
Then $W$ is a subspace of $V$.

Determine which matrices are in the subspace $W$ and find the dimension of $W$.

(a) \[A=\begin{bmatrix}
a & 0 & 0 \\
0 &b &0 \\
0 & 0 & c
\end{bmatrix},\] where $a, b, c$ are distinct real numbers.

(b) \[A=\begin{bmatrix}
a & 0 & 0 \\
0 &a &0 \\
0 & 0 & b
\end{bmatrix},\] where $a, b$ are distinct real numbers.

 
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Questions About the Trace of a Matrix

Problem 19

Let $A=(a_{i j})$ and $B=(b_{i j})$ be $n\times n$ real matrices for some $n \in \N$. Then answer the following questions about the trace of a matrix.

(a) Express $\tr(AB^{\trans})$ in terms of the entries of the matrices $A$ and $B$. Here $B^{\trans}$ is the transpose matrix of $B$.

(b) Show that $\tr(AA^{\trans})$ is the sum of the square of the entries of $A$.

(c) Show that if $A$ is nonzero symmetric matrix, then $\tr(A^2)>0$.

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