Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2009/ia/paper-1/7a/c/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2009 ia Paper 1 7A c Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
Expand in the orthonormal basis from part (a). ThenFor , the weights are nonnegative and sum to one. The Rayleigh quotient therefore lies between the smallest and largest eigenvalues. Conversely, normalized extreme eigenvectors give, for ,Thus the exact Hermitian Rayleigh quotient range isWhen , the range is the singleton containing the sole eigenvalue.
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