Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2006/iii/paper-1/4/c/solution

Put and . On the root space spanned by , their adjoint eigenvalues are and ; both act as zero on the Cartan subalgebra. Thus the Killing form is the sum of their products over the six roots. The pair of roots contributes , the pair contributes , and contributes . Hence
This also agrees with the Killing form of the special linear Lie algebra, for .

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