Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-algebra-analysis-and-differential-equations-1-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2004/algebra/1/solution
Past exam of the algebra, analysis and differential equations 1 course of the University of Oxford 2004 Algebra 1 Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-31
. For arbitrary matrices,This is bilinear and symmetric. Also , with equality exactly when every entry vanishes. Thus it is an inner product, the Frobenius inner product.
If and , invariance of trace under transposition and cyclicity giveFurthermore , so every traceless matrix is orthogonal to the identity. One convenient orthonormal basis adapted to these observations isTheir entrywise inner products are zero in distinct pairs and one on the diagonal; four orthonormal vectors in this four-dimensional space form a basis.
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