Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2025 / ib / Paper 3 / 9F (Linear Algebra)

The minimal polynomial $m_{\varphi }$ is the unique monic polynomial of least positive degree with $m_{\varphi }(\varphi )=0$. Uniqueness follows because division of one monic annihilator by another would produce a lower-degree annihilator. Cayley–Hamilton says that the characteristic polynomial annihilates $\varphi$; division then shows

The map $\theta :\mathbb{C}[x]\to V$, $p\mapsto p(\varphi )a_1$, is surjective because $1,x,\dots ,x^{n-1}$ map to the given basis. Its kernel is generated by the minimal polynomial and the quotient has dimension $n$, so $\mathrm{deg}{m}_{\varphi }=n$. The relation for $\varphi (a_n)$ gives

If $V=V_1\oplus V_2$ were a nontrivial invariant decomposition, each restricted minimal polynomial would be a power of $x-\alpha$ of degree at most $\dim V_i<n$. Their least common multiple is the minimal polynomial of $\varphi$, contradicting its degree $n$.

Since $m_{\varphi }$ has degree $n$, $\varphi$ has a cyclic vector $b_1$. Put $b_k={\varphi }^{k-1}{b}_1$. Then $\varphi (b_k)=b_{k+1}$ for $k<n$. In this basis the matrix is the companion matrix with ones immediately below the diagonal and last columnobtained by expanding $(x-\alpha {)}^n$.