AMS210 Homework 9

5.1:2,6; 5.2:6,13,25 DUE: Wednesday Nov. 15, Beginning of Class

Solutions to Problems:


In the solutions below,"&" replaces "lambda", the Greek symbol conventionally
used to denote an eigenvalue.

5.1:2) Is -2 an eigenvalue of A?  Equivalently, does the system 
	[ A - (-2I) ] x  =  0  have a non-zero solution?

 <==>   [ 9   3 ] [ x_1 ]  =  [0]  has a nontrivial solution.
	[ 3   1 ] [ x_2 ]     [0]

Now 	[ 9   3   0 ]   ~   [ 3   1   0 ]
	[ 3   1   0 ]       [ 0   0   0 ]

Thus there is a free variable; hence nontrivial solutions above, so -2 is
an eigenvalue of A.  Any nonzero multiple of  [ 1 ] is an eigenvector; that 
					      [-3 ]
is, { [ 1 ] } is a basis for the eigenspace (equals the space Nul(A+2I) ).
      [-3 ]


5.1:6) To determine if v is an e-vector for A, we do NOT need to find all
e-vectors of A.  Just check if Av is a multiple of v:

 Av  =  [ 3   6   7 ]  [ 1 ]  =  [ (3 - 12 + 7) ]  =  [-2 ]  =  -2 [ 1 ] = -2v
	[ 3   3   7 ]  [-2 ]     [ (3 - 6  + 7) ]     [ 4 ]        [-2 ]
	[ 5   6   5 ]  [ 1 ]     [ (5 - 12 + 5) ]     [-2 ]        [ 1 ]

Thus v is an eigenvector with eigenvalue -2.


5.2:6)  det(A-&I) = det [ 3-&   -4 ]  =  (3-&)(8-&) + 16 = &^2 - 11& + 40
			[  4    8-&]
is the characteristic polynomial.
	To find eigenvalues for A we set the characteristic polynomial to 0 and
solve for & (equivalent to finding the roots of a quadratic polynomial):
		& = (1/2) [11 +- sqrt(121 - 160)] = (1/2) [11 +- sqrt(-39)]
					so the e-values are not real.


5.2:13) det(A-&I) =  det [ 6-&  -2   0 ]    (expand on column 3)
		         [ -2   9-&  0 ]
		         [  5    8  3-&]

	= (3-&) det [ 6-&  -2 ]   =   (3-&)[(6-&)(9-&) - 4]
		    [ -2   9-&]

	= (3-&)[&^2 - 15& + 50]   =   (3-&)(&-10)(&-5)

	= -&^3 + 18(&^2) - 95& + 150

is the characteristic polynomial.


5.2:25)
a)     det(A-&I) = det [ .6-&   .3 ]  =  (.6-&)(.7-&) - .12 = &^2 - 1.3& + .30
		       [  .4   .7-&]		
  		                                            = (&-.3)(&-1) = 0

Thus the e-values are .3 and 1.
Note v_1 = [ 3/7 ] ,given in text, is an eigenvector for & = 1 (v_1 is the
	   [ 4/7 ]
steady state probability vector for the regular stochastic matrix A).

To find an e-vector for & = .3 solve the system (A-.3I)x = 0.
	
	[ .3   .3   0 ] 	[ 1   1   0 ]
	[ .4   .4   0 ]	   ~    [ 0   0   0 ]

	==> x_1 = - x_2 , so an e-vector is x_2 [ -1 ]  for any non-zero x_2.
						[  1 ] 
	
To comprise a basis for R^2 consisting of v_1 and another e-vector, we must
choose a non-zero multiple of    [-1 ] for v_2. 
				 [ 1 ]
Recall that e-vectors corresponding to distinct e-values are linearly 
independent.  A basis for R^2 is thus

		{ v_1 = [ 3/7 ] , v_2 = [-1 ] }
			[ 4/7 ]         [ 1 ]

b)  Solve the system c_1*v_1 + c_2*v_2 = x_0:

	(3/7)c_1 - c_2 = .5
	(4/7)c_1 + c_2 = .5

  [ 3/7  -1  .5 ]	[ 6  -14   7 ]       [ 0  -14   1 ]   c_2 = -1/14
  [ 4/7   1  .5 ]   ~   [ 1    0   1 ]   ~   [ 1    0   1 ]   c_1 =   1

Thus x = v_1 - (1/14)v_2.

c) There exists a steady state probability vector for this regular stochastic
 matrix, which is unique from our knowledge of Markov chains from Section 4.9,
 and thus as k goes to infinity

	x_k = A^k x_0  converges to the probability vector x where (A-I)x = 0.

	Thus x is an eigenvector for e-value 1.  So x must be the multiple
of v_1 that gives a probability vector (whose entries sum to 1). Since in fact 
v_1's entries sum to 1, x = v_1 = [ 3/7 ].
				  [ 4/7 ]
	Alternatively
		x_k = A^k x_0 
		    = A^k  { v_1 + (1/14)v_2 }
		    = A^k v_1  +  (1/14)A^k v_2
		    = (1)^k v_1  +  (1/14)(.3)^k v_2

which clearly converges to v_1 as k goes to infinity since (.3)^k goes to 0.