# Tagged: qualifying exam

## Problem 495

Prove that every finite group having more than two elements has a nontrivial automorphism.

(Michigan State University, Abstract Algebra Qualifying Exam)

## Problem 470

Let $G$ be a finite group of order $p^n$, where $p$ is a prime number and $n$ is a positive integer.
Suppose that $H$ is a subgroup of $G$ with index $[G:P]=p$.
Then prove that $H$ is a normal subgroup of $G$.

(Michigan State University, Abstract Algebra Qualifying Exam)

## Problem 469

Let $H$ be a subgroup of a group $G$.
Suppose that for each element $x\in G$, we have $x^2\in H$.

Then prove that $H$ is a normal subgroup of $G$.

(Purdue University, Abstract Algebra Qualifying Exam)

## Problem 457

Let $A$ be a real symmetric $n\times n$ matrix with $0$ as a simple eigenvalue (that is, the algebraic multiplicity of the eigenvalue $0$ is $1$), and let us fix a vector $\mathbf{v}\in \R^n$.

(a) Prove that for sufficiently small positive real $\epsilon$, the equation
$A\mathbf{x}+\epsilon\mathbf{x}=\mathbf{v}$ has a unique solution $\mathbf{x}=\mathbf{x}(\epsilon) \in \R^n$.

(b) Evaluate
$\lim_{\epsilon \to 0^+} \epsilon \mathbf{x}(\epsilon)$ in terms of $\mathbf{v}$, the eigenvectors of $A$, and the inner product $\langle\, ,\,\rangle$ on $\R^n$.

(University of California, Berkeley, Linear Algebra Qualifying Exam)

## Problem 317

Suppose that $A$ is a real $n\times n$ matrix.

(a) Is it true that $A$ must commute with its transpose?

(b) Suppose that the columns of $A$ (considered as vectors) form an orthonormal set.
Is it true that the rows of $A$ must also form an orthonormal set?

(University of California, Berkeley, Linear Algebra Qualifying Exam)

## Problem 190

Prove that the matrix
$A=\begin{bmatrix} 1 & 1.00001 & 1 \\ 1.00001 &1 &1.00001 \\ 1 & 1.00001 & 1 \end{bmatrix}$ has one positive eigenvalue and one negative eigenvalue.

(University of California, Berkeley Qualifying Exam Problem)

## Problem 58

Let $A$ be an $n \times n$ matrix over a field $K$. Prove that
$\rk(A^2)-\rk(A^3)\leq \rk(A)-\rk(A^2),$ where $\rk(B)$ denotes the rank of a matrix $B$.

(University of California, Berkeley, Qualifying Exam)

## Problem 55

Let $A$ and $B$ are $n \times n$ matrices with real entries.
Assume that $A+B$ is invertible. Then show that
$A(A+B)^{-1}B=B(A+B)^{-1}A.$

(University of California, Berkeley Qualifying Exam)