Past exam of the Probability, statistics and options II course of the University of Oxford / 2008 / P / 4 / a / Solution

A real square QR factorization is $A=QR$ with $Q^{\mathsf{T}}Q=I$ and $R$ upper triangular. For an invertible matrix it can be made unique by requiring positive diagonal entries of $R$.

If $A$ is orthogonal, then $R=Q^{\mathsf{T}}A$ is orthogonal as well. An orthogonal upper triangular matrix is diagonal with entries $\pm 1$: its first column has just its first entry, which must have modulus one, and orthogonality then zeros the rest of the first row; repeat inductively on the lower block. Thusand under the positive-diagonal convention $\boxed{R=I}$, $Q=A$.