Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2005/ia/paper-3/8d/solution

First is a linear subspace. To prove it is nonzero, use orthogonality and :
Hence . If then also implies . For ,
so is invariant. If had dimension two, its one-dimensional orthogonal complement would be invariant and would act there as a scalar . The determinant would be , so , forcing . Dimension three also forces . Both contradict the hypothesis. Consequently
Choose an orthonormal basis beginning with a unit vector in and followed by a basis of . In this basis the orthogonal matrix has block form
The first column of is some . Its perpendicular unit second column with positive orientation must be . Thus the restriction is the plane rotation
Trace invariance gives , proving
A Euclidean reflection in fixes that plane pointwise and reverses , so it occurs exactly when . This is equivalent to , hence exactly to . Finally,
This exhibits the three-dimensional improper orthogonal transformation as a rotation about the axis composed with Euclidean reflection in .

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