Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-linear-algebra-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2023/1/a/ii/solution

All calculations here take place in the finite field . For the given matrix , its characteristic polynomial is
The values are , so this quadratic polynomial has no polynomial root in and is an irreducible polynomial. Direct calculation gives
Neither nor is zero. The Cayley-Hamilton theorem says that the minimal polynomial divides ; its proper monic polynomial divisors cannot annihilate , so .
The two kernels give the required primary decomposition theorem for linear maps explicitly:
The determinant of the matrix with these three basis vectors as columns is in , proving . To check these are invariant subspaces, writing and gives and . Hence the matrix of the restriction to in the basis is
with minimal polynomial ; the nonzero vector space has zero restriction and minimal polynomial .

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