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ID: past-exam-of-the-numerical-analysis-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2021/2/b/iii/solution
Past exam of the numerical analysis course of the University of Oxford 2021 2 b iii Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
No. Distinct singular values do not force uniqueness in the spectral norm. For an explicit example takeThe singular values of are . Every has matrix rank one, and its error in the spectral norm isThus there are infinitely many best rank-one approximations even with a strict gap between the singular values.
The same mechanism works for every under the question's positive singular values. Starting with , defineWhen the singular values are distinct, , so every has matrix rank , whileThe spectral norm measures only the largest remaining singular value, leaving room to change retained components without increasing that maximum. This is the nonuniqueness of spectral-norm low-rank approximation. The exceptional case is unique for the elementary reason given above.
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