Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-year-1-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2021/paper-1/18/b/i/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 1 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2021 Paper 1 18 b i Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
The characteristic polynomial of isIts distinct eigenvalues are and . For , the eigenvector relation gives , so choose . For , it gives , so choose . Put these independent eigenvectors into columns:Then column by column. Also , so this choice supplies the diagonalization of a matrix . Scaling columns or interchanging their order gives other valid choices, with the matching order in .
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