Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-year-2-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2003/paper-1/5/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2003 Paper 1 5 Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-20
If for a Hermitian matrix and a nonzero eigenvector, then . The scalar on the left equals its complex conjugate because , while . Thus is real. If also , thenConsequently distinct eigenvalues force , proving orthogonality of their eigenvectors.
For a unitary matrix, preserves the norm induced by the standard Hermitian inner product. If with , then , so .
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