Jose Arnaldo Bebita Dris

First Semester, AY 2017 to 2018

Problem Set 1 (Due: August 23, 2017)
Math 211 (Dr. Ralph John de la Cruz)

QUESTION 1. Give the general solution of the system

3b − 6c + 6d + 4e = −5
3a − 7b + 8c − 5d + 8e = 9
3a − 9b + 12c − 9d + 6e = 15
SOLUTION. First, we write the augmented matrix A1 :
 
0 3 −6 6 4 −5
 
A1 :=  3 −7 8 −5 8 9 
3 −9 12 −9 6 15
Next, we apply the indicated elementary row operations to put A1 into
RREF:
 
0 3 −6 6 4 −5
1  
R3 ′ → · R3 :  3 −7 8 −5 8 9 
3
1 −3 4 −3 2 5
 
1 −3 4 −3 2 5
 
R1 ↔ R3 :  3 −7 8 −5 8 9 
0 3 −6 6 4 −5
 
1 −3 4 −3 2 5
 
R2 ′ → R2 − 3R1 :  0 2 −4 4 2 −6 
0 3 −6 6 4 −5
 
1 −3 4 −3 2 5
1  
R2 ′ → · R2 :  0 1 −2 2 1 −3 
2
0 3 −6 6 4 −5

 
1 0 −2 3 5 −4
 
R1 ′ → R1 + 3R2 , R3 ′ → R3 − 3R2 :  0 1 −2 2 1 −3 
0 0 0 0 1 4

1
  
1 0 −2 3 0 −24
 
R1 ′ → R1 − 5R3 , R2 ′ → R2 − R3 :  0 1 −2 2 0 −7 
0 0 0 0 1 4



a − 2c + 3d = −24
=⇒ b − 2c + 2d = −7


e = 4

Therefore, the basic variables are a, b and e, while the free variables are
c and d.
Consequently, we conclude that the general solution of this system is
( )
− 24 + 2c − 3d, −7 + 2c − 2d, c, d, 4 .

QUESTION 2. Use RREF to find a polynomial function f (x) such that

f (1) = 12, f (2) = 15, and f (3) = 16.
SOLUTION.
The conditions 


f (1) = 12
f (2) = 15


f (3) = 16

determine the following points in R2 :

A(1, 12)
B(2, 15)
C(3, 16).
Since the lines connecting each pair of points from A, B, and C have
slopes
15 − 12
mAB = =3
2−1
16 − 15
mBC = =1
3−2
16 − 12
mAC = =2
3−1
and because
mAB ̸= mBC , mBC ̸= mAC , mAB ̸= mAC ,

2
the three points A, B, and C are noncollinear. Hence, we now know that
f (x) ̸= a′ x + b′ .
So suppose that f (x) = ax2 + bx + c, where a, b, c ∈ R are constants to
be determined by the conditions:
f (1) = 12, f (2) = 15, f (3) = 16.
We obtain the system:
 

 2 

a(1) + b(1) + c = f (1) = 12 a + b + c = 12
a(2)2 + b(2) + c = f (2) = 15 =⇒ 4a + 2b + c = 15

 

a(3)2 + b(3) + c = f (3) = 16 9a + 3b + c = 16

First, we write the augmented matrix A2 :

 
1 1 1 12
 
A2 :=  4 2 1 15 
9 3 1 16
Next, we apply the indicated elementary row operations to put A2 into
RREF:
 
1 1 1 12
 
R2 ′ → R2 − 4R1 , R3 ′ → R3 − 9R1 :  0 −2 −3 −33 
0 −6 −8 −92
 
1 1 1 12
1 1  33 
R2 ′ → − · R2 , R3 ′ → · R3 :  0 1 3
2 2 
2 2
0 −3 −4 −46
 
1 0 − 21 − 92
 33 
R1 ′ → R1 − R2 , R3 ′ → R3 + 3R2 :  0 1 32 2 
0 0 12 7
2
 
1 0 − 21 − 92
 33 
R3 ′ → 2 · R3 :  0 1 32 2 
0 0 1 7
 
1 0 0 −1
1 3  
R1 ′ → R1 + · R3 , R2 ′ → R2 − · R3 :  0 1 0 6 
2 2
0 0 1 7

3
 Therefore,
a = −1, b = 6, and c = 7.
Consequently, a polynomial function f (x) such that

f (1) = 12, f (2) = 15, and f (3) = 16

is given by
f (x) = −x2 + 6x + 7.
QUESTION 3. Determine all x such that y is a linear combination of v1
[ ]T [ ]T [ ]T
and v2 given y = x 2 1 , v1 = 1 2 3 , and v2 = 0 1 2 .
Find the weights of y.
SOLUTION. Suppose that y is a linear combination of v1 and v2 , where
the weights are given by α and β. Then

y = α1 v1 + β1 v2 .

This gives
      


x 1 0 α 1 = x
     
 2  = α1  2  + β1  1  =⇒ 2α1 + β1 = 2


1 3 2 3α1 + 2β1 = 1

First, we write the augmented matrix A3 :

 
1 0 x
 
A3 :=  2 1 2 
3 2 1
Next, we apply the indicated elementary row operations to put A3 into
RREF:
 
1 0 x
 
R2 ′ → R2 − 2R1 , R3 ′ → R3 − 3R1 :  0 1 2 − 2x 
0 2 1 − 3x
 
1 0 x
 
R3 ′ → R3 − 2R2 :  0 1 2 − 2x 
0 0 x−3

4
 By assumption, y is a linear combination of v1 and v2 , which is true if
and only if the system 


α1 = x
2α1 + β1 = 2


3α1 + 2β1 = 1

has a solution, which is true only if and only if the RREF of the augmented
matrix A3 has no zero rows. This implies that x − 3 must be zero (because
otherwise x − 3 ̸= 0, and the third row of the RREF of A3 would be a zero
row). Consequently, it must be the case that x = 3, which means that the
weights α1 and β1 of y are given by

α1 = x = 3

β1 = 2 − 2x = −4
so that we ultimately have
     
3 1 0
     
 2  = 3 2  − 4 1 
1 3 2

QUESTION 4. Give a maximal linearly independent subset of

{[ ]T [ ]T [ ]T [ ]T [ ]T }
0 3 3 , 3 −7 −9 , −6 8 12 , 6 −5 −9 , 4 8 6 .

Express the fourth vector above as a linear combination of its preceding

vectors.
SOLUTION. Let
{[ ]T [ ]T [ ]T [ ]T [ ]T }
M1 := 0 3 3 , 3 −7 −9 , −6 8 12 , 6 −5 −9 , 4 8 6 .

Consolidating the (column) vectors in the set M1 into a single matrix A4 ,

we obtain  
0 3 −6 6 4
 
A4 :=  3 −7 8 −5 8 
3 −9 12 −9 6
Next, we note that A4 is just the coefficient matrix of A1 from QUES-
TION 1. Hence, if A5 is the RREF of A4 , then A5 is given as follows:

5
  
1 0 −2 3 0
 
A5 =  0 1 −2 2 0 
0 0 0 0 1
The pivot columns of A5 correspond to the vectors in the set M2 given
as follows:
{[ ]T [ ]T [ ]T }
M2 = 0 3 3 , 3 −7 −9 , 4 8 6 .

Noting that M2 ⊂ M1 , we conclude that

{[ ]T [ ]T [ ]T }
M2 = 0 3 3 , 3 −7 −9 , 4 8 6

is a maximal linearly independent subset of M1 .

This implies that the set
{[ ]T [ ]T [ ]T [ ]T }
M3 := 0 3 3 , 3 −7 −9 , −6 8 12 , 6 −5 −9

is linearly dependent, so that we can express any vector v ∈ M3 as a linear

combination of the other three vectors.
In particular, we can write
        


6 0 3 −6 3β2 − 6γ = 6
       
 −5  = α2  3 +β2  −7 +γ  8  =⇒ 3α2 − 7β2 + 8γ = −5


−9 3 −9 12 3α2 − 9β2 + 12γ = −9

First, we write the augmented matrix A6 :

 
0 3 −6 6
 
A6 :=  3 −7 8 −5 
3 −9 12 −9
Next, we apply the indicated elementary row operations to put A6 into
RREF:
 
0 3 −6 6
′ 1  
R3 → · R3 :  3 −7 8 −5 
3
1 −3 4 −3

6
  
1 −3 4 −3
 
R1 ↔ R3 :  3 −7 8 −5 
0 3 −6 6
 
1 −3 4 −3
 
R2 ′ → R2 − 3R1 :  0 2 −4 4 
0 3 −6 6
 
1 −3 4 −3
1  
R2 ′ → · R2 :  0 1 −2 2 
2
0 3 −6 6
 
1 0 −2 3
 
R1 ′ → R1 + 3R2 , R3 ′ → R3 − 3R2 :  0 1 −2 2 
0 0 0 0
Since the RREF of A6 has a zero row, wherein both LHS and RHS are
zero, then there are infinitely many possible values for the weights α2 , β2 ,
and γ. The general solution for the weights is given by
( ) ( )
α2 , β2 , γ = 3 + 2γ, 2 + 2γ, γ .

In particular, when γ = 1, we have the following linear combination:

       
6 0 3 −6
       
 −5  = 5  3  + 4  −7  +  8  .
−9 3 −9 12

QUESTION 5. Construct a matrix A ∈ F2×2 such that A ̸= ±I2 and

A2 = I.
SOLUTION. It will suffice to construct a matrix A ∈ F2×2 such that
A ̸= I2 and A2 = I.
To this end, let [ ]
s t
A := .
u v
Then
[ ] [ ][ ] [ ] [ ]
2 2
1 0 s t s t s + ut st + tv s + ut t(s + v)
= I = A2 = = =
0 1 u v u v su + uv v 2 + ut u(s + v) v 2 + ut

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 We then have the system


 s2 + ut = 1

 {
t(s + v) = 0 s2 − v 2 = (s2 + ut) − (v 2 + ut) = 1 − 1 = 0
=⇒ .

 u(s + v) = 0 (t − u)(s + v) = t(s + v) − u(s + v) = 0 − 0 = 0


v 2 + ut = 1

This implies that we can take s = v and t = u. If we let s = v = 0, then

ut = 1. It will then suffice to take t = u = 1, so that we have
[ ][ ] [ ]
0 1 0 1 1 0
A2 = = .
1 0 1 0 0 1

Notice that the matrix A constructed here satisfies

[ ] [ ]
0 1 1 0
A= ̸= .
1 0 0 1

Of course, A also satisfies

[ ] [ ]
0 1 −1 0
A= ̸= .
1 0 0 −1

(Note that the matrix

[ ]
0 −1
A′ =
−1 0

is obtained if we take s = v = 0 and t = u = −1, and that A′ also satisfies

A′ 2 = I and A′ ̸= ±I2 .)