Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2023/iii/paper-218/6/c/ii/solution

Write . By the definition of the kernel matrix,
and
The irrelevant positive factor gives exactly the stated constrained optimization.
Let , where is the largest eigenvalue and . The generalized Rayleigh quotient is maximized by
up to sign and addition of a vector in , which does not change . Repeated leading eigenvectors give further principal directions.

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