MID EXAM.

(FALL-2023)
NAME: ID NUMBER: Time: 1 hour

Part I: Indicate whether the statement is true (T) or false (F). 10 × 2 = 20.

(i) A homogeneous linear system with more unknowns than equations has trivial solution. F

(ii) If A is a 6 × 5 matrix, the linear transformation x 7→ Ax cannot map R5 onto R6 . T

(iii) If A is a square matrix, then A adj(A) is a diagonal matrix. F

(iv) The columns of a matrix A are linearly independent if the equation Ax = 0 has the trivial solution. T

(v) A linear system whose augmented matrix is 3 × 5 can have at most 3 pivot columns. T

(vi) If a system of linear equations has two different solutions, it must have infinitely many solutions. T

(vii) If AC = 0 (A and C are matrices), then either A = 0 or C = 0. F

(viii) The transpose of an elementary matrix is an elementary matrix. T

(ix) Any system of n linear equations in n variables can be solved by Cramer’s rule. F

(x) If A is a square matrix, then det (−A) = − det A. F

Part II: Find or Prove. 8 × 10 = 80

1. (i) If A is a matrix with n columns, then the solution space of the homogeneous system Ax = 0 is all of Rn if and only if A = 0.
(ii) Find a 2 × 2 matrix A, which does not contain the number 0 in any of its 4 positions, so that A2 is a matrix containing 4 zeroes.

Proof: (i) If A = 0, then Ax = 0x = 0 for every vector x in Rn , so the solution space of Ax = 0 is all of Rn . Conversely, assume
that the solution space of Ax = 0 is all of Rn , and consider the equation A = AI, where I is the n × n identity matrix. If we denote
the successive column vectors of I by e1 , e2 ,...,en , then we can rewrite this equation as

A = A[e1 e2 · · · en ] = [Ae1 Ae2 · · · Aen ] = [0 0 · · · 0]

which implies that A = 0.

 
a b
(ii) If A2 contains only zeroes, then det A2 = 0, that is, det A = 0. If A = , then we have ad−bc = 0, that is, ad = bc. We
c d
   
1 b 1 + bc b(1 + bc)
can try setting a = 1 and seeing what happens. This means that A = . We compute that A2 = .
c bc c(1 + bc) bc(1 + bc)
We now set bc = −1 (so that 1 + bc = 0), andmiraculously  this equation makesall 4 of the matrix entries equal to 0. So we can
1 1 0 0
try taking b = 1 and c = −1, and setting A = . Sure enough, A2 = .
−1 −1 0 0

2. If A is a non-singular matrix, then prove that adj A is non-singular and (adj A)−1 = adj (A−1 ) = (det A)−1 A.

Sol: Since A is a non-singular matrix, det A ̸= 0. We have A adj A = det A In . Taking determinant both sides, we get
det(A adj A) = det A det(adj A) = (det A)n , that is, det(adj A) = (det A)n−1 ̸= 0. Hence adj A is non-singular, that is,
(adj A)−1 exists.
Since A is a non-singular matrix, AA−1 = In , that is, det A det A−1 = 1. Now, we obtain

A = det A (adj A)−1 , that is, (adj A)−1 = (det A)−1 A,

and A−1 adj (A−1 ) = det A−1 In , that is, adj (A−1 ) = (det A)−1 A.

Hence (adj A)−1 = adj (A−1 ) = (det A)−1 A.

 
1 −2 2
3. Let A = 3 1 
2 −1 −2  . Prove that AT A = I3 . Utilize this to solve the equations x − 2y + 2z = 2, 2x − y − 2z = 1,
2 2 1
2x + 2y + z = 7.

Proof. Let
 
1 −2 2
1
A= 2 −1 −2  .
3
2 2 1

Then
     
1 −2 2 1 2 2 9 0 0
1 1
AAT =  2 −1 −2   −2 −1 2 =  0 9 0  = I3 .
9 9
2 2 1 2 −2 1 0 0 9
 
1 2 2
−1 T 1  −2
Therefore we obtain A =A = 3
−1 2 .
2 −2 1

  
x1 2
From system of linear equations, we have Ax = 13 b, where x =  x2  and b =  1  . Hence
x3 7
      
x1 1 2 2 2 2
1 1
x =  x2  = A−1 b =  −2 −1 2   1  =  1  .
3 9
x3 2 −2 1 7 1

4. Let T : R3 → R4 be a linear transformation, given by T (x) = Ax, where the matrix A is given as follows:
 
1 1 3 1
A= 2 1 5 4 .
1 2 4 −1
Determine the kernel of the transformation T .

Sol: The kernel of the transformation T is the set of all x ∈ R4 such that T (x) = Ax = 0. We perform elementary row operations
to the augmented matrix [A|0] to reduced row echelon form.
     
1 1 3 1 0 1 1 3 1 0 1 1 3 1 0
−2R 1 + R 2 → R 2 R 2 + R 3 → R 3
A= 2 1 5 4 0  >  0 −1 −1 2 0  − >  0 1 1 −2 0  .
−R1 + R3 → R3 −R2 → R2
1 2 4 −1 0 0 1 1 −2 0 0 0 0 0 0
 
1 0 2 3 0
−R2 + R1 → R1
− >  0 1 1 −2 0  .
0 0 0 0 0
Solving the corresponding reduced row echelon form system yields x1 = −2x3 − 3x4 , x2 = −x3 + 2x4 , where x3 and x4 are free
variables. Therefore, the kernel of T is given as follows:
     

 −2 −3 


4
 −1   2  
Ker(T ) = x ∈ R : x = x3   + x 4
  , x 3 , x4 ∈ R .

 1   0  

0 1
 

5. Are the three matrices below, considered as vectors in R2×2 , linearly independent? If so, demonstrate this. If not, write one of
them as a linear combination of the other two:
     
1 1 3 −3 2 −1
v1 = , v2 = , v3 = .
2 3 −4 1 −1 2

Solution: Let us consider a relation x1 v1 + x2 v2 + x3 v3 = 0, that is,

       
1 1 3 −3 2 −1 0 0
x1 + x2 + x3 = ,
2 3 −4 1 −1 2 0 0
that is,
   
x1 + 3x2 + 2x3 x1 − 3x2 − x3 0 0
= ,
2x1 − 4x2 − x3 3x1 + x2 + 2x3 0 0
that is,
x1 + 3x2 + 2x3 = 0,
x1 − 3x2 − x3 = 0,
2x1 − 4x2 − x3 = 0,
3x1 + x2 + 2x3 = 0,
 
1 3 2
 1 −3 −1 
that is, Ax = b, where x = (x1 , x2 , x3 )T , b = (0, 0, 0)T and A =   2 −4 −1
. We apply elementary row operation on the

3 1 2
augmented matrix, we obtain
     
1 3 2 0 1 3 2 0 1 3 2 0
 1 −3 −1 0   0 −6 −3 0   0 2 1 0 
 2 −4 −1 0  →  0 −10 −5 0  → 
     .
0 0 0 0 
3 1 2 0 0 −8 −4 0 0 0 0 0
Thus there is one free variable x3 . If we set x3 = 2 we see that x2 = −1 and x1 = −1. Therefore v1 , v2 , v3 are linearly dependent
and hence      
3 −3 1 1 2 −1
=− +2 .
−4 1 2 3 −1 2

6. Find the dimensions of the column space and null space of A, where
 
1 −1 2 −1 1
 4 −3 −1 1 −2 
A=  3 −2 −3
.
2 −3 
6 −5 3 −1 0

Solution. The row echelon form of A is given by

 
1 −1 2 −1 1
 0
 1 −9 5 −6 
.
 0 0 0 0 0 
0 0 0 0 0

Since the dimension of Nul A is the number of free variables in the equation Ax = 0, the dimension of the null space of A is 3.
Moreover, the dimension of the column space is 2 as the dimension of the column space A is the number of pivot columns in A.

sin2 α sin2 β sin2 γ

 

7. Is this invertible matrix  cos2 α cos2 β cos2 γ ? Give reason.

1 1 1
Sol: Apply row operation on A, We obtain

sin2 α sin2 β sin2 γ sin2 α sin2 β sin2 γ sin2 α sin2 β sin2 γ

     

A =  cos2 α cos2 β cos2 γ  →  sin2 α + cos2 α sin2 β + cos2 β sin2 γ + cos2 γ  =  1 1 1  = B.

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Since det B = 0, we obtain B is not invertible and hence A is not invertible.

8. Let A be an n × n matrix. Show that the set Eλ = {x | Ax = λ x, where x is an n × 1 vector and λ is a scalar} is a subspace
of Rn .

Proof: The set Eλ contains at least the zero vector, since A0 = λ 0 .

(i) Let u ∈ Eλ . Then Au = λ u . For any scalar α, α Au = α λ u , that is, A(αu) = λ (αu) . Thus we have αu ∈ Eλ .

(ii) Let u, v ∈ Eλ . Then Au = λ u and Av = λ v . Now,

A(u + v) = Au + Av = λ u + λ v = λ(u + v) .

Thus we have u + v ∈ Eλ . Hence Eλ is a subspace of Rn .

         
1 −3 −1 0 −1
9. Given the basis S1 = , and [u]S1 = . Find [u]S2 , where S2 = , .
2 1 2 −1 2

Sol: Given [u]S1 , so u is given by      

1 −3 −7
u = −1 +2 = .
2 1 0
 
a
Let [u]S2 = . Then the definition of coordinates vector with respect to the basis S2 , we obtain
b
     
−7 0 −1
=a +b ,
0 −1 2

that is,     
0 −1 a −7
= .
−1 2 b 0
The augmented matrix of the above system of linear equations, we obtain
     
0 −1 −7 1 −2 0 1 0 14
−> −> .
−1 2 0 0 1 7 0 1 7
 
14
Thus we have a = 14 and b = 7. Hence [u]S2 = .
7