Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2020 ii Paper 1 41E a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-29
For a fixed shift that is not an eigenvalue, inverse iteration is the power method applied to . Before normalization, the th vector is proportional toIf , factor out the first coefficient:Every ratio in parentheses lies strictly between zero and one. The bracket therefore tends to , and normalization in the Euclidean norm givesThis proves the stated convergence to or and exhibits the convergence of fixed-shift inverse iteration rate.
- If , the direction approaches , but , so consecutive iterates alternate signs.
- If , the iterates approach one fixed sign of because .
- At the midpoint, the two dominant inverse eigenvalues have equal modulus and opposite signs. Generic iterates alternate between the two normalized combinations proportional to and .
Finally, if , the closest eigenvalue is and its inverse eigenvalue is negative. Thus the direction approaches the line spanned by , while normalized vectors alternate between the two signs. These cases are the sign behavior of fixed-shift inverse iteration.
Choose a shift which is not an eigenvalue. Inverse iteration applies power iteration to , implemented by a linear system solve rather than by forming an explicit matrix inverse:A single LU decomposition of can be reused for all the solves at this fixed shift. An eigenpair transforms intoThus an eigenvalue uniquely closest to becomes the dominant eigenvalue of . For a diagonalizable matrix, the argument in the preceding subpart gives convergence of diagonalizable fixed-shift inverse iteration, provided the starting coefficient in the target eigenspace is nonzero, with power iteration direction error , whereFor any prescribed simple eigenvalue, taking a sufficiently close but unequal shift makes the numerator small while the denominator stays close to its positive separation from the remaining eigenvalues. This makes small and gives very fast convergence per iteration. The Rayleigh quotient of estimates directly. If estimates the associated eigenvalue of , the corresponding estimate is .
The selection principle also applies when the other eigenvalues have nontrivial blocks in the Jordan normal form: their contributions acquire powers of , multiplying strictly smaller geometric factors. A simple uniquely closest eigenvalue still attracts the direction when the Riesz projection of onto its generalized eigenspace is nonzero. For nonreal target eigenvalues, allow complex shifts and arithmetic; a real shift cannot distinguish a conjugate pair of equal distances. Setting makes the solve singular, and an exactly zero starting target component prevents convergence to that target in exact arithmetic. When is real, account for the sign behavior of fixed-shift inverse iteration.