Tutorial Sheet 1

1. Let A =

1 2
3 4

and B =

1 2 3
4 5 6

Write (i) the second row of AB as a

5 6
linear combination of the rows of B, and (ii) the second column of AB as a linear
combination of the columns of A.
Solution: (i) The second row of AB is
3 [1 2 3] + 4 [4 5 6] = [19 26 33].

(ii) The second column of AB is

12

2 3 + 5 4 = 26 .

5
6
40
2. An n n matrix A = [aij ] is called symmetric if aij = aji for all pairs (i, j),
1 i, j n. Let A and B be symmetric matrices of the same size. Show that AB
is a symmetric matrix if and only if AB = BA.
Solution: (AB)t = AB B t At = AB BA = AB.
3. A square matrix A is called nilpotent if Ak = O for some positive integer k. Let A
and B be nilpotent matrices of the same size.
(i) Show by an example that A + B and AB need not be nilpotent.
(ii) Prove that A + B is nilpotent if A and B commute with each other (that is, if
AB = BA). [Hint: Use the binomial expansion of (A + B)k .]
Solution: (i) Take

A=

0 1

0 0

and B =

0 0
1 0

(ii) If Am = 0 and B n = 0, then (A + B)m+n = 0 since Am+nj B j = 0 for all

j = 0, 1, . . . , m + n.
4. A square matrix A = [aij ] is called upper triangular if aij = 0 for all j < i. A
lower triangular matrix is defined similarly (or equivalently, as the transpose of an
1

upper triangular matrix). Prove that the sum as well as the product of two upper
triangular matrices of the same size is upper triangular.
Solution: For the sum, it is clear. For the product, the (i, j)th entry of AB is
given by ci,j =

aik bkj . Suppose i > j. If k < i, then aik = 0. If k i, then k > j

and so bkj = 0. Hence ci,j = 0.

5. The trace of a square matrix A = [aij ] is defined as the sum of its diagonal elements,
that is, tr A :=

aii . Prove that if A, B are square matrices of the same size and

, are scalars, then

(a) tr (A + B) = tr (A) + tr (B).
(b) tr(AB) = tr(BA).
(c) If A is invertible, then tr (ABA1 ) = tr (B).
Solution: (a) Verify directly.
(b) Let A = [aij ], B = [bij ], so that tr(A) =
P P
i

aij bji =

i bji aij

P P
j

aii , tr(B) =

i bii .

Now tr(AB) =

= tr(BA).

(c) tr(ABA ) = tr(A(BA )) = tr((BA1 )A) = tr(B(A1 A)) = tr(B).

1

6. Solve the following system of linear equations in the unknowns x1 , . . . , x4 by the

Gauss Elimination Method:
(i)
2x2
2x3
+x4
2x1

8x2

+14x3

=2

5x4

=2

+x4

=8

x1 +3x2
Solution:

(ii) 2x1

2x2

+x3

+x4

=1

2x2

+x3

x4

=2

x2

+4x3

2x4

= 2

3x1

-2

(i) The augmented matrix corresponding to the system is 2 -8 14 -5 2 .

1 3 0 1 8

2 -8 14 -5 2

R1 R2 gives
0

-2

1
1

7R2

and R3 R3
gives 0

2
0

, R3 R 3
2

-8 14 -5 2
2

-2

-5

-2

-7

,
2

R1
gives
0

2
0

7/2 7

.
2

x3 , x4 are the free variables and x1 , x2 are the pivotal variables. Setting x3 = s, x4 =
t, we obtain 2x2 2s + t = 2, that is, x2 = 1 + s t/2, and 2x1 8x2 + 14s 5t = 2,

2 -8 14

that is, x1 = 5 3s + t/2. Therefore the general solution can be written as

x1 = 5 3s + t/2, x2 = 1 + s t/2, x3 = s, x4 = t,
where s and t are arbitrary scalars.
(ii)
The augmented matrix
corresponding to the system is

2 -2 1 1 1

.
2

0 -2 1

-1

3 -1 4

-2 -2

R3 R 3

3R1

gives 0

2
0

-2

-2

-1

2 5/2 -7/2 -7/2

2 -2

and R3 R3 + R2 gives 0 -2

-1

.
2

0 7/2 -9/2 -3/2

x4 is the free variable, and x1 , x2 , x3 are the pivotal variables. Setting x4 = s, we

obtain x3 = (3/7) + 9s/7, 2x2 + x3 s = 2, that is, x2 = (17/14) + s/7, and
2x1 2x2 + x3 + x4 = 1, that is, x1 = (1/2) s. Therefore the general solution
can be written as
x1 = s (1/2), x2 = (17/14) + s/7, x3 = (3/7) + 9s/7, x4 = s,
where s is an arbitrary scalar.

7. If A is symmetric, and a11

(1)

(1)

(1)

. . . a2n

a
22
.
6 0, then show that the matrix ..
=

an2 . . . a(1)
nn
obtained after the first step of the Gauss Elimination Method is symmetric.
Solution:

a11 a12 . . . a1j . . . a1n

a21 a22 . . . a2j . . . a2n

..
..
..
..
..
..
.
.
.
.
.
.

ai1
..
.

ai2 . . .
..
..
.
.

aij . . .
..
..
.
.

ain
..
.

an1 an2 . . . anj . . . ann

where
(1)

aij = aij

a11

a12 . . .
(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

. . . anj

(1)

. . . a(1)
nn

0 a22 . . . a2j . . . a2n

..
..
..
..
..
..
.
.
.
.
.
.

0 ai2 . . . aij . . . ain

..
..
..
..
..
..

.
.
.
.
.
.

0 an2

ai1
aj1
(1)
a1j = aji
a1i = aji
a11
a11
3

a1j . . . a1n

for i, j = 2, , n.

8. Obtain the row canonical form of the following matrices.

(i)

2
1

4 4
2

20
4

2 6

1 2

(ii)

2 3

(ii) The row canonical form is

1 0 0

0 1 0
.

0 0 1

0 0 0

Solution: (i) The row canonical form is 0 0 1 0 .

0 0 0 1

1 2 0 0

1 1