Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 1 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge / 2015 / Paper 2 / 17 / a

An eigenvalue equation has the form $A\mathbf{a}=\lambda \mathbf{a}$, where $\mathbf{a}\ne 0$ is an eigenvector and $\lambda$ its eigenvalue. It means that the linear map preserves the vector's line and acts there by multiplication by $\lambda$. Nonzero solutions occur precisely when $\det (A-\lambda I)=0$; the zero vector is excluded because it would satisfy the equation for every $\lambda$.