MASSEY UNIVERSITY

Institute of Fundamental Sciences

160.102 LINEAR MATHEMATICS

Worksheet 10

1. Let         
 1 1 1  7
B=  1  ,  1  ,  −1  , x = 3 .

2 0 1
 
−1

(a) Show that B is an orthogonal basis of R3 .

 
(b) Determine x B (the B-coordinate vector of x).
Hint: Since B is orthogonal this can be done without row reduction.

2. Apply the Gram-Schmidt process to construct an orthonormal basis for

span(u1 , u2 , u3 ) ⊂ R4 where
     
0 3 1
 1 2 2
u1 = 
 0 ,
 u2 = 
1 ,
 u3 = 3 .


1 0 −4

3. Let    
1 3 −4 1 1 1
P = , Q= √ .
5 4 3 2 1 −1
(a) Show that P and Q are orthogonal matrices.
(Recall, a square matrix A is said to be orthogonal if AT A = I.)
(b) Is P a rotation or a reflection?
What about Q?
(Recall, an orthogonal 2 × 2 matrix A is said to be a rotation if det(A) = 1
and said to be a reflection if det(A) = −1.)

4. Orthogonally diagonalise the matrix

 
0 1 1
A = 1 0 1 .
1 1 2

1
5. Let
Q(x) = 5x21 + 5x22 + 2x23 + 8x1 x2 + 4x1 x3 + 4x2 x3
be a quadratic form on R3 .

(a) Write Q in matrix form.

(b) Compute the eigenvalues of the matrix found in (a) and use the result to
conclude that Q is positive definite.
(c) Use Sylvester’s criterion to again show that Q is positive definite.

6. Find a change of variables that transforms the quadratic form

W (x) = 5x21 + 8x1 x2 + 11x22

into one with no cross-product terms.