Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2001/ia/paper-1/6c/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2001 ia Paper 1 6C Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
If , then is equivalent to . Thus the solution set is the affine solution space of a linear equation , and every vector of that form solves the equation.
For the symmetric matrix case, let . Symmetry givesDistinct eigenvalues therefore imply . Normalizing the three vectors gives an orthonormal basis. Expand and , with . The equation becomes for every . Thus solvability is equivalent to , and all solutions areThis proves the claimed orthogonality condition and the full solution family rather than only a particular solution.
For the numerical symmetric matrix, direct multiplication gives for , and for . Their orthogonal complement is spanned by , and multiplication gives . The supplied right side has , so the linear system is solvable. Its other coefficients are and . HenceEquivalently, all solutions are
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