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Two symmetric matrices are congruent when $C=P^{T}AP$ for an invertible matrix $P$. This is the transformation of a quadratic form under an invertible linear change of coordinates. It differs from matrix similarity, which uses $P^{-1}AP$. Completing the square diagonalizes a real quadratic form by matrix congruence.

A module isomorphism is a bijection of modules over the same ring preserving addition and scalar multiplication. Its inverse preserves these operations too. When a linear operator $T$ gives a vector space an $F[t]$-module structure by $t\cdot v=T(v)$, a module isomorphism is exactly an invertible linear map intertwining the two operators. This translates classification of modules into matrix similarity and rational canonical form.

The Cayley-Hamilton theorem says that every square complex matrix satisfies its own characteristic polynomial: if ${\chi }_A(t)=t^n+c_{n-1}{t}^{n-1}+\cdots +c_0$, thenFor a $2\times 2$ diagonalisable matrix, write $A=SD{S}^{-1}$ with $D=\mathrm{diag}({\lambda }_1,{\lambda }_2)$. The characteristic polynomial is $(t-{\lambda }_1)(t-{\lambda }_2)$, including repeated roots. Evaluating it at $D$ gives zero in each diagonal position, and polynomial evaluation respects matrix similarity: ${\chi }_A(A)=S{\chi }_A(D)S^{-1}=0$. This proves the requested case.

For the final assertion, let $\lambda$ be any complex eigenvalue of $B$, with nonzero eigenvector $\mathbf{v}$. From $B^k=0$ we obtain $0=B^k\mathbf{v}={\lambda }^k\mathbf{v}$, so $\lambda =0$. The characteristic polynomial of this nilpotent linear map is therefore $t^n$. Applying the full Cayley-Hamilton theorem yields $\boxed{B^n=0}$. This argument does not assume $B$ is diagonalisable.

Rescaling the first basis vector gives the change-of-basis matrix $P=\mathrm{diag}(k,1)$, invertible because $k\ne 0$. Direct multiplication givesThus the matrices are related by matrix similarity. In terms of basis images, the coefficient along the rescaled first basis vector is divided by $k$, while the second component of its image is multiplied by $k$.

By the given matrix similarity, $A^{\prime }=P^{-1}AP$ for an invertible $P$. HenceThe characteristic polynomials are identical. Therefore the characteristic equations and eigenvalues, including algebraic multiplicities, agree. The conclusion is independent of the choice between $\det (tI-A)$ and $\det (A-tI)$ conventions.

Let the repeated eigenvalue be $a$, and choose an eigenvector $v_1\ne 0$. Complete it to a basis $(v_1,v_2)$ of ${\mathbb{C}}^2$. In this basis the matrix is an upper triangular matrix, with first column $(a,0{)}^T$, say $T=\left(\begin{array}{cc}a& c\\ 0& d\end{array}\right)$. Its characteristic polynomial is $(t-a)(t-d)$. By part (a)(ii), this must equal $(t-a{)}^2$, so $d=a$.

If $c=0$, the matrix is already $aI$. If $c\ne 0$, rescale the first basis vector by $k=c$ and apply part (a)(iii); the upper-right entry becomes one. ThusThe second possibility is a size-two Jordan block. It has only one independent eigenvector, whereas $aI$ has a two-dimensional eigenspace, so the two types cannot be related by matrix similarity. This repeated-eigenvalue classification in dimension two proves the required result without assuming the general Jordan normal form theorem.

The structure theorem for finitely generated modules over a principal ideal domain applies in particular to a Euclidean domain $R$: every finitely generated module has an isomorphismwith each $d_i$ nonzero and a nonunit. The rank of a free module $r$ and the invariant factors of a finitely generated module $d_i$ are unique up to multiplication by units; empty sums are allowed. This is the classification theorem being used, without a proof of that theorem.

The rational canonical form theorem states that for a linear operator $T$ on a finite-dimensional vector space over any field $F$, there are unique monic nonconstant polynomials $p_1\mid \cdots \mid p_k$ such that some basis givesHere, for $p(t)=t^d+a_{d-1}{t}^{d-1}+\cdots +a_0$, the companion matrix has ones on its subdiagonal and last column $(-a_0,\dots ,-a_{d-1}{)}^T$. The empty matrix covers a zero-dimensional space. Two linear operators have matrix similarity exactly when they have the same invariant factors of a linear operator.

For the proof, make $V$ an $F[t]$-module by $t\cdot v=T(v)$. It is a finitely generated module, since a vector-space basis also generates it as a module. It is a torsion module: the powers of $T$ have linear dependence in the finite-dimensional space ${\mathrm{End}}_F(V)$, so some nonzero polynomial annihilates every vector. Because $F[t]$ is a Euclidean domain, the classification theorem givesThere is no free summand, since a nonzero free module over $F[t]$ is not a torsion module. Choose monic generators of the ideals. On $F[t]/(p_i)$, the classes of $1,t,\dots ,t^{d_i-1}$ form an $F$-basis by polynomial division. Multiplication by $t$ is exactly $C(p_i)$ in that basis, proving existence. Uniqueness in the classification theorem proves uniqueness of the rational canonical form. Finally, an $F[t]$-module isomorphism is precisely an invertible $F$-linear map intertwining the operators, establishing the assertion about matrix similarity. In particular the characteristic polynomial is ${\prod }_i{p}_i$ and the minimal polynomial is $p_k$ for nonzero $V$.