Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2016 / ib / Paper 2 / 1F / Solution

Use completing the square rather than computing the eigenvalues of the symmetric matrix. Successively removing the mixed terms givesThus one suitable invertible linear change of coordinates isThe coordinate matrix is upper triangular with determinant one, so the change is an invertible linear map. Its inverse is $z=Z$, $y=Y+4Z/7$, $x=X-2Y+5Z/14$. Hence the diagonal coefficients can be taken as $2,-7,-3/14$. This is a matrix congruence of a quadratic form; an orthogonal transformation was not required.