For a full-column-rank matrix , extend the thin QR decomposition to an orthogonal matrix . Thenso maps the column space of onto the first coordinate directions. Successive Householder transformations construct the same reduction without first forming a full orthogonal basis.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 ib Paper 1 18D Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
Let . This is an orthogonal projection matrix, so and . Therefore the Householder transformationsatisfies . If and , thenand hence .
Apply a Householder transformation to the first column of to map it to a multiple of , then apply transformations supported on the trailing coordinates to clear each later column below its diagonal. Their product is orthogonal and produces ; reversing the product gives .
For the displayed matrix, one resulting factorization isDirect multiplication gives the stated , and .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 ii Paper 1 40E a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
Since and ,Thus the first column of is , and is a block upper triangular matrix:where is its bottom-right submatrix. ThereforeA similarity transformation preserves the characteristic polynomial, sowith algebraic multiplicities included.
To construct , use a Householder transformation. With , choose the sign of to avoid cancellation and setThen is an orthogonal matrix and maps to up to the chosen sign. If already lies on the first coordinate axis, take a suitable diagonal sign matrix. This is the one-vector case of orthogonal coordinate reduction of a subspace.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 ii Paper 1 40E b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
Let . Since the two columns are linearly independent, the leading block inis invertible. Hence . The hypothesis that is an invariant subspace of implies that this coordinate plane is invariant under . Consequently the first two columns of have no entries below row two, andwhere is the top-left block and is the bottom-right block. Eigenvalue deflation by an invariant subspace now givessoagain counting algebraic multiplicities.
For the required orthogonal reduction, take a thin QR decomposition , extend the two orthonormal columns of to an orthogonal matrix , and set . ThenEquivalently, apply one Householder transformation to annihilate entries of , followed by a second Householder transformation acting only on coordinates to annihilate entries of the transformed .