Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2024 / ii / Paper 4 / 40A / a / Solution

The power method starts from $q_0\ne 0$ and iteratesIf the eigenvalue of largest modulus is separated by a spectral gap and the initial vector is nonorthogonal to a corresponding eigenvector, the iterates converge in direction to that eigenvector.

Inverse iteration with shift $s$ instead solvesIt applies the power method to $(A-sI{)}^{-1}$ and therefore finds an eigenvector whose eigenvalue is closest to $s$.