Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematical-methods-i-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2016/5/solution

The equations are an eigenvalue problem for the matrix
A nonzero solution requires . Expanding gives
Row reduction gives the complete eigenspaces:
For the solutions form the plane through the origin; for they form a line through the origin. Exclude the zero vector when requiring a nontrivial solution. The repeated eigenvalue has a two-dimensional eigenspace; there are three independent eigenvectors in total. This matrix is not symmetric, so its different eigenspaces need not be mutually orthogonal.

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