Solutions to Sample Final Exam Problems Math 322 1

Math 322 Solutions To Sample Final Exam Problems

1. Consider the matrices A given below.
(i)
_
2 3
6 1
_
(ii)
_
_
4 3 2
1 0 2
1 3 1
_
_
(iii)
_
_
4 1 3
2 3 3
2 1 1
_
_
(a) For each of the three matrices, nd the eigenvalues and a basis for each eigenspace.
(b) Which of the three matrices are diagonalizable? For those that are, nd an invertible matrix Q and a
diagonal matrix D such that D = Q
1
AQ.
Solution:
(a) (i) We have

2 3
6 1

= (2 )(1 ) 18 =
2
20 = ( 5)( + 4),
so our eigenvalues are
1
= 5 and
2
= 4.

1
= 5:
_
3 3 0
6 6 0
_

_
1 1 0
0 0 0
_
= v
1
= (1, 1)

2
= 4:
_
6 3 0
6 3 0
_

_
2 1 0
0 0 0
_
= v
2
= (1, 2)
Our answers are therefore as follows:
Eigenvalue Basis for Corresponding Eigenspace

1
= 5 {(1, 1)}

2
= 4 {(1, 2)}
(ii) Expanding along the 2nd row, we have

4 3 2
1 2
1 3 1

3 2
3 1

+ ()

4 2
1 1

4 3
1 3

=
_
3(1 ) 6

_
(4 )(1 ) + 2

2
_
3(4 ) 3

= (3 3 6) (4 4 +
2
+ 2) 2(3 + 9)
= (3 9) (
2
5 + 6) 2(3 + 9)
= 3( 3) ( 3)( 2) + 6( 3)
= ( 3)(3 + ( 2) 6)
= ( 3)(
2
2 3)
= ( 3)
2
( + 1),
so our eigenvalues are
1
= 3 and
2
= 1.

1
= 3:
_
_
1 3 2 0
1 3 2 0
1 3 2 0
_
_

_
_
1 3 2 0
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0
_
_
=
x
1
= 3t 2u
x
2
= t
x
3
= u
t = 1, u = 0 = v
1
= (3, 1, 0)
t = 0, u = 1 = v
2
= (2, 0, 1)
Solutions to Sample Final Exam Problems Math 322 2

2
= 1:
_
_
5 3 2 0
1 1 2 0
1 3 2 0
_
_

_
_
1 1 2 0
5 3 2 0
1 3 2 0
_
_

_
_
1 1 2 0
0 8 8 0
0 4 4 0
_
_

_
_
1 1 2 0
0 1 1 0
0 0 0 0
_
_
=
x
1
= 2t + t = t
x
2
= t
x
3
= t
t = 1 = v
3
= (1, 1, 1)
Our answers are therefore as follows:
Eigenvalue Basis for Corresponding Eigenspace

1
= 3 {(3, 1, 0), (2, 0, 1)}

2
= 1 {(1, 1, 1)}
(iii) Expanding along the rst row, we have

4 1 3
2 3 3
2 1 1

= (4 )

3 3
1 1

2 3
2 1

+ 3

2 3
2 1

= (4 )
_
(3 )(1 ) + 3

+
_
2(1 ) + 6

+ 3
_
2 2(3 + )

= (4 )(
2
+ 2) + (2 + 4) + 3(4 2)
= ( + 4)( + 2) + 2( + 2) 6( + 2)
= ( + 2)(
2
+ 4 + 4)
= ( + 2)
3
,
so our only eigenvalue is = 2.
= 2:
_
_
2 1 3 0
2 1 3 0
2 1 3 0
_
_

_
_
2 1 3 0
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0
_
_
=
x
1
=
1
2
(t + 3u)
x
2
= t
x
3
= u
t = 2, u = 0 = v
1
= (1, 2, 0)
t = 0, u = 2 = v
2
= (3, 0, 2)
Our answers are therefore as follows:
Eigenvalue Basis for Corresponding Eigenspace
= 2 {(1, 2, 0), (3, 0, 2)}
(b) i. Since our matrix is 2 2 and our answer to part (a) indicates 2 linearly independent eigenvectors,
the answer is yes, this matrix is diagonalizable with
D =
_
5 0
0 4
_
and Q =
_
1 1
1 2
_
.
Solutions to Sample Final Exam Problems Math 322 3
(ii) Since our matrix is 3 3 and our answer to part (a) indicates 3 linearly independent eigenvectors,
the answer is yes, this matrix is diagonalizable with
D =
_
_
3 0 0
0 3 0
0 0 1
_
_
and Q =
_
_
3 2 1
1 0 1
0 1 1
_
_
.
(iii) Since our matrix is 3 3 but our answer to part (a) indicates that the matrix has only 2 linearly
independent eigenvectors, the answer is no, this matrix is not diagonalizable.
2. Let u = (u
1
, u
2
, u
3
), v = (v
1
, v
2
, v
3
), and w = (w
1
, w
2
, w
3
). Suppose that when Gaussian elimination is
applied to the system below on the left, we obtain the system on the right:
_
_
u
1
v
1
w
1
a
u
2
v
2
w
2
b
u
3
v
3
w
3
c
_
_

_
_
1 0 2 b
0 2 3 a 3b
0 0 0 a 2b + c
_
_
(a) Give a description of the subspace span {u, v, w} . Also, state its dimension and give a basis for the
subspace.
(b) Write down two vectors that are not contained in span {u, v, w} .
(c) Are the vectors u, v, and w linearly independent? If they are, explain why. If they are not, write one
of the vectors as a linear combination of the others.
(d) Write (2, 3, 4) as a linear combination of u, v, and w in two dierent ways.
Solution:
(a) The set span {u, v, w} is the set of all vectors of the form (a, b, c) for which the above system of
equations is consistent. By looking at the third row of the reduced system, we see that the system is
consistent exactly when a 2b + c = 0. Therefore, we have
span {u, v, w} = {(a, b, c) : a 2b + c = 0} .
By observing that the rst two columns of the original coecient matrix are pivot columns, we see that
= {u, v} is a basis for span {u, v, w} and that its dimension is 2.
(b) Here, we need only nd two vectors (a, b, c) that do not satisfy a 2b + c = 0. We note that (1, 0, 0) and
(0, 1, 0) both work because 1 2(0) + 0 = 0 and 0 2(1) + 0 = 0, respectively. Therefore, our nal
answers are (1, 0, 0) and (0, 1, 0). Note that many other answers are possible!
(c) By substituting a = b = c = 0 into the right hand side of the system of equations given in the original
problem, we obtain
_
_
u
1
v
1
w
1
0
u
2
v
2
w
2
0
u
3
v
3
w
3
0
_
_

_
_
1 0 2 0
0 2 3 0
0 0 0 0
_
_
.
Since x
3
is a free variable, this system has nontrivial solutions, and it follows that the vectors u, v, w are
not linearly independent. To write one of the vectors as a linear combination of the others, we rst write
down the solution to the above system of equations:
x
3
= t, x
2
=
3
2
t, x
1
= 2t
Letting t = 2, we obtain a solution of x
1
= 4, x
2
= 3, and x
3
= 2, which means that
4u 3v + 2w = 0. After solving the above equation for w, our nal answer is
w = 2u +
3
2
v.
Solutions to Sample Final Exam Problems Math 322 4
(d) Using the elimination steps given to us in the original problem, we obtain
_
_
u
1
v
1
w
1
2
u
2
v
2
w
2
3
u
3
v
3
w
3
4
_
_

_
_
1 0 2 3
0 2 3 2 3(3)
0 0 0 2 2(3) + 4
_
_

_
_
1 0 2 3
0 2 3 7
0 0 0 0
_
_
To write (2, 3, 4) as a linear combination of u, v, and w, in two dierent ways, we need to nd 2 solutions
to the above system. We therefore begin by writing down the solution to the system below:
x
3
= t, x
2
=
1
2
(7 3t), x
1
= 3 2t
Next, we choose two dierent values for the free variable x
3
and examine where each choice leads us:
t = 0 = x
1
= 3, x
2
=
7
2
, x
3
= 0 = (2, 3, 4) = 3u
7
2
v + 0w
t = 1 = x
1
= 1, x
2
= 5, x
3
= 1 = (2, 3, 4) = 1u 5v + 1w
Therefore, our nal answers are (2, 3, 4) = 3u
7
2
v and (2, 3, 4) = u 5v + w.
3. Find bases for each of the following subspaces W. For parts (b) and (c), let T : P
2
(R) P
2
(R) be the
linear transformation dened by T(p(x)) = 4p(x) + (1 x
2
) p(1) + 16xp(0).
(a) {(a + 3b + c, 2a 4b, a + b + 3c) : a, b, c R} (b) R(T) (c) N(T)
Solution:
(a) First, observe that
W = {a(1, 2, 1) + b(3, 4, 1) + c(1, 0, 3) : a, b, c R}
= span {(1, 2, 1), (3, 4, 1), (1, 0, 3)} ,
so G = {(1, 2, 1), (3, 4, 1), (1, 0, 3)} is a generating set for W. We can reduce this set to a basis
using row-reduction:
_
_
1 3 1
2 4 0
1 1 3
_
_

_
_
1 3 1
0 2 2
0 4 4
_
_

_
_
1 3 1
0 1 1
0 0 0
_
_
Since the above matrix has its only two pivot positions in the rst two columns, it follows that
= {(1, 2, 1), (3, 4, 1)}
is a basis for W.
(b) First, we nd the matrix for T relative to the standard ordered basis =
_
1, x, x
2
_
. We have
T(1) = 4 + (1 x
2
) + 16x = 5 + 16x x
2
T(x) = 4x + (1 x
2
) = 1 + 4x x
2
T(x
2
) = 4x
2
+ (1 x
2
) = 1 + 0x + 3x
2
Therefore, [T]

=
_
_
5 1 1
16 4 0
1 1 3
_
_
, and row reduction yields:
_
_
1 1 3
4 1 0
5 1 1
_
_

_
_
1 1 3
0 3 12
0 4 16
_
_

_
_
1 1 3
0 1 4
0 1 4
_
_

_
_
1 1 3
0 1 4
0 0 0
_
_
Since [T]

has its only pivot positions in the rst two columns, it follows that the coordinate vectors
corresponding to a basis for R(T) are given by (5, 16, 1)
t
and (1, 4, 1)
t
, from which we obtain
=
_
5 + 16x x
2
, 1 + 4x x
2
_
as a basis for R(T) .
Solutions to Sample Final Exam Problems Math 322 5
(c) We rst observe that, from our calculations in part (b) above, the nullspace of [T]

is given by
{(t, 4t, t) : t R} . Therefore, a coordinate vector corresponding to a basis for N(T) is (1, 4, 1), from
which we obtain
=
_
1 + 4x + x
2
_
as a basis for N(T) .
4. Let T : R
5
W be a linear transformation with rank(T) = 2. Prove that if L = {u, v, w} is a linearly
independent subset of N(T) , then = {u v, u + w, v w} is a basis for N(T) .
Solution: First, observe that because T is linear, we have
T(u v) = T(u) T(v) = 0 0 = 0,
so u v N(T) . Similarly, u + w and v w are in N(T) , so N(T) . Now, by the Dimension Theorem, we
have
dim(N(T)) = dim(R
5
) rank(T) = 3.
Therefore, if we can show that is a linearly independent set, it will follow from Corollary 2 to the
Replacement Theorem that is a basis for N(T) .
Suppose that
() c
1
(u v) + c
2
(u + w) + c
3
(v w) = 0.
Rearranging this equation yields
(c
1
+ c
2
)u + (c
1
+ c
3
)v + (c
2
c
3
)w = 0,
so because of the fact that L is linearly independent, we know that
c
1
+ c
2
= 0, c
1
+ c
3
= 0, and c
2
c
3
= 0.
Adding these three equation together yields 2c
2
= 0, so that c
2
= 0. Therefore, the rst equation implies
that c
1
= 0, and the third equation implies that c
3
= 0. Since the trivial solution c
1
= c
2
= c
3
= 0 is the only
solution to (), it follows that is linearly independent. By our remarks in the rst paragraph, this concludes
the proof that is a basis for N(T) .
5. Let T : V V be a linear operator, where dimV = n.
(a) Prove that if is an eigenvalue of T, then
2
is an eigenvalue of T
2
.
(b) Prove that if T has n distinct positive eigenvalues, then T
2
is diagonalizable.
(c) Show by example that T
2
can have repeated eigenvalues even if T has n distinct eigenvalues.
Solution:
(a) Assume that is an eigenvalue of T with corresponding eigenvector v. Then T(v) = v, so we have
T
2
(v) = T(T(v))
= T(v) because T(v) = v
= T(v) because T is linear
=
2
T(v). because T(v) = v
Therefore,
2
is an eigenvalue of T
2
(with corresponding eigenvector v).
(b) Suppose that T has n distinct positive eigenvalues
1
,
2
, . . . ,
n
. By part (a), it follows that

2
1
,
2
2
, . . . ,
2
n
are eigenvalues of T
2
, and observe that these eigenvalues of T
2
are also distinct. This is
true because, if for some i = j we had
2
i
=
2
j
, then we would have
i
=
j
(because the eigenvalues of
T were positive), contradicting the fact that T has n distinct eigenvalues. Therefore, since T
2
has n
distinct eigenvalues, it follows from the Corollary to Theorem 5.5 that T
2
is diagonalizable.
Solutions to Sample Final Exam Problems Math 322 6
(c) Consider the operator T : R
2
R
2
dened by T(x
1
, x
2
) = (x
1
, x
2
), whose matrix relative to the
standard ordered basis for R
2
is given by
A = [T]

=
_
1 0
0 1
_
.
Since

1 0
0 1

= (1 )(1 ),
we see that T has two distinct eigenvalues:
1
= 1 and
2
= 1. However,
[T
2
]

= A
2
=
_
1 0
0 1
_
,
and so a similar calculation shows that T
2
has only one repeated eigenvalue:
1
= 1.
6. Let T : P
2
(R) P
2
(R) be a linear transformation, and note that
=
_
1, 1 + x, 1 + x + x
2
_
is a basis for P
2
(R). Suppose we know that
Q =
_
_
1 1 0
4 5 2
3 2 1
_
_
T(p
1
(x)) = 1 + x
2
, T(p
2
(x)) = 3x
2
, and T(p
3
(x)) = 4 + x,
where

= {p
1
(x), p
2
(x), p
3
(x)} is some unknown basis for P
2
(R). Also suppose we know that Q is the
change of coordinates matrix for changing

-coordinates into -coordinates.

(a) Find the polynomials p
1
, p
2
, and p
3
.
(b) Find a formula for T. Is T invertible? Justify your answer.
Solution:
(a) Since p
1
, p
2
, and p
3
have coordinate vectors e
1
, e
2
, and e
3
, respectively, relative to the basis

, we have:
[p
1
(x)]

= Qe
1
= (1, 4, 3)
t
[p
2
(x)]

= Qe
2
= (1, 5, 2)
t
[p
3
(x)]

= Qe
3
= (0, 2, 1)
t
We can therefore calculate p
1
, p
2
, and p
3
as follows:
p
1
(x) = 1(1) + 4(1 + x) + 3(1 + x + x
2
) = 2 x + 3x
2
p
2
(x) = 1(1) + 5(1 + x) + 2(1 + x + x
2
) = 2 3x + 2x
2
p
3
(x) = 0(1) + 2(1 + x) + 1(1 + x + x
2
) = 1 + x x
2
(b) Finding a formula for T means nding the value of T(a +bx +cx
2
) for any values of a, b, and c. Since the
only information we have about T is its value when evaluated at the polynomials in the basis

, we need
to write the arbitrary polynomial a + bx + cx
2
as a linear combination of the polynomials in

.
Therefore, we need to solve the equation
() a + bx + cx
2
= y
1
p
1
(x) + y
2
p
2
(x) + y
3
p
3
(x)
for y
1
, y
2
, and y
3
. This equation leads to a system of equations, which we write down and row-reduce
below:
_
_
2 2 1 a
1 3 1 b
3 2 1 c
_
_

_
_
1 3 1 b
0 4 1 a 2b
0 7 2 3b + c
_
_

_
_
1 3 1 b
0 4 1 a 2b
0 1 0 2a b + c
_
_
_
_
1 3 1 b
0 1 0 2a b + c
0 4 1 a 2b
_
_

_
_
1 3 1 b
0 1 0 2a b + c
0 0 1 7a + 2b 4c
_
_
Solutions to Sample Final Exam Problems Math 322 7
_
_
1 0 0 a c
0 1 0 2a b + c
0 0 1 7a + 2b 4c
_
_

_
_
1 0 0 a + c
0 1 0 2a b + c
0 0 1 7a 2b + 4c
_
_
Thus, we have y
1
= a + c, y
2
= 2a b + c, and y
3
= 7a 2b + 4c, and so
T(a + bx + cx
2
) = y
1
T(p
1
(x)) + y
2
T(p
2
(x)) + y
3
T(p
3
(x)) by () and the linearity of T
= (a + c)(1 + x
2
) + (2a b + c)(3x
2
) + (7a 2b + 4c)(4 + x) given
= (27a + 8b 15c) + (7a 2b + 4c)x + (7a 3b + 4c)x
2
is our formula for T.
We claim that T is invertible. We show this by demonstrating that a matrix representation of T is
invertible. Using the given information, it is most convenient to examine the matrix [T]

, where is the
standard ordered basis for P
2
(R). Since
T(p
1
(x)) = 1 + 0x + x
2
, T(p
2
(x)) = 0 + 0x + 3x
2
, and T(p
3
(x)) = 4 + 1x + 0x
2
,
we have
[T]

=
_
_
1 0 4
0 0 1
1 3 0
_
_
.
By expanding along the 2nd row, we see that
det([T]

) = (1)

1 0
1 3

= 3 = 0,
so [T]

is invertible because its determinant is nonzero (see the Crucial Theorem on your theorems and
denitions sheet). It therefore follows that T is also invertible.
7. Let T be the linear operator on R
3
dened by
T(x
1
, x
2
, x
3
) = (4x
1
+ 8x
2
8x
3
, x
1
+ x
3
, 3x
1
+ 8x
2
7x
3
).
For each of the following, either prove or disprove which of the following subsets W are subspaces of R
3
. For
those that are subspaces, decide which are T-invariant, and justify your answer.
(a) W = {(a, 0, 0) : a R} (b) W = N(T)
(c) W = {(a, 2a, 2a 1) : a R} (d) W = {(a, b a, b) : a, b R}
(e) W = {(0, a, a) : a R}
Solution:
(a) We claim that W is a subspace. To see that this is the case, we rst note that (0, 0, 0) W, so W
contains the zero vector. We must also show that W is closed under vector addition and scalar
multiplication, so let (a, 0, 0), (b, 0, 0) W, and let c be any scalar. Then we have
(a, 0, 0) + (b, 0, 0) = (a + b, 0, 0) W and c(a, 0, 0) = (ca, 0, 0) W,
so W is a subspace by Theorem 1.3. However, W is not T-invariant because, for example, (1, 0, 0) W,
but T(1, 0, 0) = (4, 1, 3) W.
(b) By Theorem 2.1, N(T) is a subspace of R
3
. It is also T-invariant because, for any x N(T) , we have
T(x) = 0 N(T) .
(c) W is not a subspace of R
3
because it does not contain the zero vector. This is clear because the only way
for the rst coordinate of a vector in W to be zero would be to have a = 0, and the only way for the
third coordinate to be zero would be to have a = 1/2. Since its impossible for a to equal both values at
once, the zero vector is not in W.
Solutions to Sample Final Exam Problems Math 322 8
(d) We could show that W is a subspace of R
3
using Theorem 1.3 as we did in part (a). Alternatively, we
can observe that
W = {a(1, 1, 0) + b(0, 1, 1) : a, b R}
= span {(1, 1, 0), (0, 1, 1)} ,
so W is a subspace by Theorem 1.5. Now, observe that for any vector w = (a, b a, b) W, we have
T(w) =
_
4a + 8(b a) 8b, a + b, 3a + 8(b a) 7b
_
= (4a, a + b, 5a + b)
=
_
4a, (5a + b) (4a), 5a + b
_
W,
so W is T-invariant.
(e) Since
W = {(0, a, a) : a R} = span {(0, 1, 1)} ,
we see that W is a subspace by Theorem 1.5. Also observe that for any vector w = (0, a, a) W, we
have
T(w) =
_
8a 8a, a, 8a 7a)
= (0, a, a) W,
so W is T-invariant.
8. (Taken from Friedberg, Insel, & Spence) In 1975 the automobile industry determined that 40% of American
car owners drove large cars, 20% drove intermediate-sized cars, and 40% drove small cars. A second survey
in 1985 showed that 70% of the large-car owners in 1975 still owned large cars in 1985, but 30% had changed
to an intermediate-sized car. Of those who owned intermediate-sized cars in 1975, 10% had switched to
large cars, 70% continued to drive intermediate-sized cars, and 20% had changed to small cars in 1985.
Finally, of the small-car owners in 1975, 10% owned intermediate-sized cars and 90% owned small cars in
1985. Assuming that these trends continue, determine the following: (Hint: Eigenvalues and corresponding
eigenvectors are
1
= 1, v
1
= (1, 3, 6);
2
= 0.8, v
2
= (1, 1, 2);
3
= 0.5, v
3
= (1, 2, 1).)
(a) The percentage of Americans who own cars of each size in 1995.
(b) A general formula for the percentage of car owners who own small cars n decades after 1975.
(c) The percentage of Americans who eventually own cars of each size.
Solution:
First, we summarize the given information in the table to the
right, which leads to the following transition matrix:
A =
_
_
0.7 0.1 0
0.3 0.7 0.1
0 0.2 0.9
_
_
From
To
Large Int. Small
Large 0.7 0.1 0
Int. 0.3 0.7 0.1
Small 0 0.2 0.9
(a) Since
_
_
0.7 0.1 0
0.3 0.7 0.1
0 0.2 0.9
_
_
2
_
_
0.4
0.2
0.4
_
_
=
_
_
0.7 0.1 0
0.3 0.7 0.1
0 0.2 0.9
_
_
_
_
_
_
0.7 0.1 0
0.3 0.7 0.1
0 0.2 0.9
_
_
_
_
0.4
0.2
0.4
_
_
_
_
=
_
_
0.7 0.1 0
0.3 0.7 0.1
0 0.2 0.9
_
_
_
_
0.3
0.3
0.4
_
_
=
_
_
0.24
0.34
0.42
_
_
,
Solutions to Sample Final Exam Problems Math 322 9
we conclude that in 1995, 24% will own large cars, 34% will own intermediate cars, and 42% will own
small cars.
(b) Let a(n), b(n), and c(n) represent the percentage of car owners who own large, intermediate-sized, and
small cars, respectively, n decades after 1975. According to our model,
()
_
_
a(n)
b(n)
c(n)
_
_
=
_
_
0.7 0.1 0
0.3 0.7 0.1
0 0.2 0.9
_
_
n
_
_
0.4
0.2
0.4
_
_
,
and we are being asked to nd a general formula for c(n). To do this, we need to nd a convenient
formula for A
n
, which can be done by diagonalizing A and then using the fact that A
n
= QD
n
Q
1
,
where Q is a 3 3 matrix having the eigenvectors of A as its columns, and D is a diagonal matrix having
the corresponding eigenvalues of A along its diagonal. Using the hint given with the statement of the
problem, we have
Q =
_
_
1 1 1
3 1 2
6 2 1
_
_
and D =
_
_
1 0 0
0 0.8 0
0 0 0.5
_
_
.
We will therefore need the inverse of the matrix Q, which we calculate below:
_
_
1 1 1 1 0 0
3 1 2 0 1 0
6 2 1 0 0 1
_
_

_
_
1 1 1 1 0 0
0 2 5 3 1 0
0 8 5 6 0 1
_
_

_
_
1 1 1 1 0 0
0 2 5 3 1 0
0 0 15 6 4 1
_
_
_
_
15 15 15 15 0 0
0 6 15 9 3 0
0 0 15 6 4 1
_
_

_
_
15 15 0 9 4 1
0 6 0 3 1 1
0 0 15 6 4 1
_
_
_
_
30 30 0 18 8 2
0 30 0 15 5 5
0 0 15 6 4 1
_
_

_
_
30 0 0 3 3 3
0 30 0 15 5 5
0 0 15 6 4 1
_
_
Therefore, we have Q
1
=
1
30
_
_
3 3 3
15 5 5
12 8 2
_
_
, so
A
n
=
_
_
0.7 0.1 0
0.3 0.7 0.1
0 0.2 0.9
_
_
n
=
1
30
_
_
1 1 1
3 1 2
6 2 1
_
_
_
_
1 0 0
0 0.8 0
0 0 0.5
_
_
n
_
_
3 3 3
15 5 5
12 8 2
_
_
=
1
30
_
_
1 1 1
3 1 2
6 2 1
_
_
_
_
1 0 0
0 0.8
n
0
0 0 0.5
n
_
_
_
_
3 3 3
15 5 5
12 8 2
_
_
,
and looking back at equation (), we have
_
_
a(n)
b(n)
c(n)
_
_
=
1
30
_
_
1 1 1
3 1 2
6 2 1
_
_
_
_
1 0 0
0 0.8
n
0
0 0 0.5
n
_
_
_
_
3 3 3
15 5 5
12 8 2
_
_
_
_
0.4
0.2
0.4
_
_
=
1
30
_
_
1 1 1
3 1 2
6 2 1
_
_
_
_
1 0 0
0 0.8
n
0
0 0 0.5
n
_
_
_
_
3
5
4
_
_
=
1
30
_
_
1 1 1
3 1 2
6 2 1
_
_
_
_
3
5(0.8)
n
4(0.5)
n
_
_
.
Solutions to Sample Final Exam Problems Math 322 10
Since we are only interested in a formula for c(n), we need only nd the third row of the above vector;
this calculation yields
c(n) =
1
30
_
18 10(0.8)
n
+ 4(0.5)
n
_
,
which is our nal answer.
(c) Using some of the results of our calculations in part (b) above, we have
lim
n
A
n
_
_
0.4
0.2
0.4
_
_
=
1
30
_
_
1 1 1
3 1 2
6 2 1
_
_
lim
n
_
_
3
5(0.8)
n
4(0.5)
n
_
_
=
1
30
_
_
1 1 1
3 1 2
6 2 1
_
_
_
_
3
0
0
_
_
=
_
_
0.1
0.3
0.6
_
_
,
so eventually 10% of car owners will own large cars, 30% will own intermediate-sized cars, and 60% will
own small cars.
9. Dene T : P(R) P(R) by T(p(x)) = p

(x) + p

(x).
(a) Prove that T is a linear transformation. You may assume basic facts about derivatives from calculus.
(b) Prove that T is not one-to-one.
(c) Prove that T is onto. (Hint: First, use induction to prove that x
n
R(T) for all n = 0, 1, 2, . . . . Then,
use the fact that
_
1, x, x
2
, . . .
_
is a basis for P(R) to prove that T is onto.)
(d) Do the results of parts (b) and (c) contradict Theorem 2.5? Explain.
Solution:
(a) Let p(x) and q(x) be polynomials in P(R), and let a be any real number. Then, by properties of
derivatives from calculus, we have
T(p(x) + q(x)) = (p(x) + q(x))

+ (p(x) + q(x))

= p

(x) + q

(x) + p

(x) + q

(x)
= (p

(x) + p

(x)) + (q

(x) + q

(x))
= T(p(x)) + T(q(x)),
and
T(a p(x)) = (a p(x))

+ (a p(x))

= a p

(x) + a p

(x)
= a(p

(x) + p

(x))
= aT(p(x)).
Since T preserves vector addition and scalar multiplication, we conclude that T is a linear
transformation.
(b) Since T(1) = 0, we see that 1 N(T) , and so N(T) =
_
0
_
. Therefore, by Theorem 2.4, T is not
one-to-one.
(c) We rst claim that x
n
R(T) for all n 0, which we will prove by induction on n.
Basis Step: Observe that T(x) = 1 = x
0
, so x
0
R(T) , which proves our claim for n = 0.
Inductive Step: Assume that x
n
R(T) for some n 0. We must show that x
n+1
R(T) . First, observe
that
() T
_
1
n + 2
x
n+2
_
= x
n+1
+ (n + 1)x
n
.
Solutions to Sample Final Exam Problems Math 322 11
By the induction hypothesis, x
n
R(T) , so we know that there exists a polynomial p(x) such that
T(p(x)) = x
n
. We therefore have
T
_
1
n + 2
x
n+2
(n + 1)p(x)
_
= T
_
1
n + 2
x
n+2
_
(n + 1)T(p(x)) T is linear
= x
n+1
+ (n + 1)x
n
(n + 1)x
n
by ()
= x
n+1
,
so x
n+1
R(T) . This completes the proof of our claim that x
n
R(T) for all n 0.
Now, note that we have shown that =
_
1, x, x
2
, . . .
_
R(T) , which, by Theorem 1.5, means that
W = span R(T) .
Since it is always true that R(T) W, we have W = R(T) , which means that T is onto.
(d) No. Although we have proven that T is onto but not one-to-one, this does not contradict Theorem 2.5
because P(R) is innite-dimensional. Therefore, Theorem 2.5 does not apply to T.
10. Consider the basis =
_
2 2x + x
2
, 1 x + x
2
, 1 + x
2
_
for P
2
(R) and the linear transformation T :
P
2
(R) P
2
(R) dened by T(a + bx + cx
2
) = (5a + b 4c) + (2a + b + 2c)x + (3a + b 2c)x
2
.
(a) Calculate [T]

.
(b) Which, if any, of the polynomials in are eigenvectors of T? Justify your answer.
(c) Show that W = span
_
1 x + x
2
, 1 + x
2
_
is the T-cyclic subspace generated by 1 x + x
2
.
(d) Is T diagonalizable? Justify your answer.
Solution:
(a) We have
T(2 2x + x
2
) = 4 4x + 2x
2
= 2(2 2x + x
2
) + 0(1 x + x
2
) + 0(1 + x
2
)
T(1 x + x
2
) = x = 0(2 2x + x
2
) + 1(1 x + x
2
) + 1(1 + x
2
)
T(1 + x
2
) = 1 + x
2
= 0(2 2x + x
2
) + 0(1 x + x
2
) + 1(1 + x
2
)
,
so we see that
[T]

=
_
_
2 0 0
0 1 0
0 1 1
_
_
.
(b) For convenience of notation, let p
1
, p
2
, and p
3
denote the rst, second, and third polynomial in the
ordered basis . By looking at the rst and the third columns of our matrix from part (a), we see that
T(p
1
(x)) = 2p
1
(x) and T(p
3
(x)) = p
3
(x),
so p
1
and p
3
are eigenvectors of T (with respective eigenvalues of 2 and 1). On the other hand, the
second column of [T]

shows that
T(p
2
(x)) = p
2
(x) p
3
(x),
meaning that T(p
2
(x)) is not a scalar multiple of p
2
(x); therefore, p
2
is not an eigenvector. To
summarize, the rst and the third polynomials, 2 2x + x
2
and 1 + x
2
, are eigenvectors of T.
(c) Let W

denote the T-cyclic subspace generated by 1 x + x

2
. First, observe that
T(1 x + x
2
) = x and T(x) = 1 x x
2
.
Solutions to Sample Final Exam Problems Math 322 12
Since dim(P
2
(R)) = 3, it follows that W

= span
_
1 x + x
2
, x, 1 x x
2
_
, and we can nd a
basis for W

by identifying the above polynomials as coordinate vectors (relative to the standard ordered
basis on P
2
(R)) and row-reducing as follows:
_
_
1 0 1
1 1 1
1 0 1
_
_

_
_
1 0 1
0 1 2
0 0 0
_
_
Since the rst two columns are pivot columns, it follows that

=
_
1 x + x
2
, x
_
is a basis for the subspace W

. Also, note that since 1 x + x

2
and 1 + x
2
are linearly independent,
=
_
1 x + x
2
, 1 + x
2
_
is a basis for W. We will now show that W = W

. To see that this is the case, observe that because W is

a subspace,
x = (1 + x
2
) (1 x + x
2
) W,
so it follows that

W; therefore, by Problem 1.4.13, we have

W

= span (

) W.
Similarly, because W

is a subspace,
1 + x
2
= (1 x + x
2
) (x) W

,
so W

, and therefore W = span() W

. Thus, W = W

, which completes our argument.

(d) Letting A denote the matrix [T]

that we calculated in part (a), we see that

det(A I) = (2 )(1 )
2
,
so 1 and 2 are the only eigenvalues of A (and hence of T, as well). In attempting to nd the eigenvectors
of A that correspond to = 1, we obtain and reduce the following system:
_
_
1 0 0 0
0 0 0 0
0 1 0 0
_
_

_
_
1 0 0 0
0 1 0 0
0 0 0 0
_
_
Since the above system has only one free variable, it follows that dim(E

) = 1 despite the fact that

= 1 has multiplicity 2. By Theorem 5.9, we conclude that T is not diagonalizable.