Math SN4 Practice Test 2

Test 2 covers Chapters 2.1–2.5 and 3.1–3.3 of the Text book, or Class Notes Parts 10–16. Review Assign-
ments (Written 3, 4 and Webwork 5 and 6).
Some Practice Problems:
 
3 2
1. Let A = ; find a non-zero 2 × 2 matrix B such that AB = 0. Is the answer unique? Why
−9 −6
or why not?
 
2 1
2. Given A = , write both A−1 and A as products of elementary matrices.
6 4
 
1 0 1
3. Let A =  3 3 4 
2 2 3
−1
(a) Find A .
(b) Use A−1 to solve XAT + 2I = A for matrix X.
4. Suppose A, B and C are n × n matrices and ABC = I. Circle any valid conclusions (There can be
more than one valid conclusion.) Briefly justify your selections.
(a) A−1 = BC (d) B −1 = CA
(b) C −1 = B −1 A−1 (e) B −1 = A−1 C −1
(c) B −1 = AC (f) CAB = I
5. Suppose A is a 2 × 2 nonzero matrix.
(a) Give an example where A is symmetric.
(b) Give an example where A is skew symmetric.
(c) Give an example where A2 = 0.
6. Are the following statements True or False? Justify your answers.
(a) The columns of an invertible matrix are linearly independent
(b) If B is a 5 × 4 matrix with linearly independent columns then Bx = 0 has only the trivial solution
(c) Suppose A and B are n × n matrices. If AB = 0 and A ̸= 0 then B = 0
(d) Suppose A and B are n × n matrices. Then (A + B)2 = A2 + 2AB + B 2
(e) Suppose A is an n × n matrix. If x is a nonzero vector in Rn and Ax = 0 then det A = 0
7. Let A be a 2 × 2 matrix such that A2 = A. Find three nonzero matrices that satisfy this matrix
equation.
8. Suppose that A is a 4 × 3 matrix and B is a 3 × 4 matrix. Show that the 4 × 4 matrix AB cannot be
invertible. What can you say about the 3 × 3 matrix BA?
 
1 1 1
9. Let A =  1 9 a 
1 a 3
(a) Find det A. (b) For what value(s) of a is A invertible? (c) For what value(s) of a are the columns
of A linearly dependent?
     
2 −2 −5 4 0 x1
 0 1 4 0 
, b =  0  and x =  x2 
   
10. Let A =  6 2 5 −3   −3   x3 
−7 −3 −8 5 0 x4
 (a) Compute det A.
(b) If applicable, use Cramer’s rule to solve Ax = b for x3 only.
11. If A is a 4 × 4 matrix with det A = −2, what is
(a) det(2A3 ) (b) det((AT A)−2 ) (c) det(A−1 + 2adjA)
(d) det L + det U where A = LU (U is a REF of A and L is lower triangular with 1’s on the diagonal)
a b c a − 9g 6b − 54h c − 9i
12. d e f = 2, find g 6h i
g h i d 6e f
13. Fill in the blanks. The missing word is must, might or cannot.
(a) If AB = AC and det A ̸= 0 then B be equal to C.
(b) If A is an n × n matrix such that A2 = 0 then A be invertible.
(c) If A and B are n × n then (A − B)(A + B) be equal to A2 − B 2 .
(d) If the n × n matrix A satisfies A4 + 2A + 3I = 0 then A be invertible.
(e) If A is a symmetric and invertible matrix, then A−1 be symmetric.
−1 −1
(f) If A and B are n × n invertible matrices, then A (A + B)B be equal to A−1 + B −1 .
14. Assume all the matrices are n × n and invertible as needed. Solve for matrix X in the given problems.
(a) (2AX)T − B = AT
(b) A(C −1 + BX)−1 B = C
 
1 −2 8
15. Consider the matrix A =  0 −1 0 . Given that the eigenvalues of A are λ1 = 1 and λ2 = −1
0 0 −1
(a) Find the eigenvectors of A.
(b) Diagonalize A. Specifically, find matrices D and P such that AP = P D
(c) Find A1000 .
16. Suppose that A is a square matrix. Prove that A and AT have the same eigenvalues.
For additional practice look at the selected exercises from Chapters 2 and 3 of the Text book.

ANSWERS
 
2 2
1. Many answers possible, e.g. A =
−3 −3
   
1 0 1 1 2 0
2. One possible way is: A =
3 1 0 1 0 1
   
1/2 0 1 −1 1 0
A−1 =
0 1 0 1 −3 1
 
1 2 −3
3. A−1 =  −1 1 −1 
0 −2 3
 
−4 0 3
X = (A − 2I)(A−1 )T =  −7 −6 10 
3 −1 −1
 4. The valid conclusions are (a), (d) and (f).
 
1 2
5. (a) A =
2 5
 
0 2
(b) A =
−2 0
   
0 3 1 1
(c) A = or A =
0 0 −1 −1

6. (a) T, (b) T, (c) F, (d) F, (e) T (Justify by refering to IMT, using the fact that in general AB ̸= BA,
giving a short proof or a counter example...)
           
1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 3 3
7. A = , B= , C= , D= , G= , H=
0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 −2 2
8. Hint: consider Bx = 0 and ABx = 0. Any solution of the first system is also a solution of the second
system; furthermore, they have nontrivial solutions.
On the other hand, BA might be invertible; Example:
 
1 0 0  
 0 1 0  1 0 0 0
A=  0 0 1 ,
 B= 0 1 0 0 
0 0 1 0
0 0 0

9. det A = −a2 + 2a + 15, det A = 0 → a = 5, or a = −3, in this case columns of A are linearly
dependent. A is invertible iff det A ̸= 0.

10. det A = −21, x3 = 38/7

11. (a)-128; (b) 1/16; (c) -81/2; (d) det L = 1, det U = det A = −2, det L + det U = −1

12. −12

13. (a) must

(b) can not
(c) might
(d) must
(e) must
(f) must
1
14. (a) X = (I + A−1 B T )
2
(b) X = C −1 A − B −1 C −1
     
1 1 −4
15. (a) The eigenvectors are 0 , 1 and
    0
0 0 1
   
1 1 −4 1 0 0
(b) P = 0 1
 0  and D = 0
 −1 0 
0 0 1 0 0 −1
 (c) A1000 = I

16. Note that

(λI − A)T = λI − AT −→ det(λI − A) = det(λI − A)T = det(λI − AT )

This implies that A and AT have the same characteristic polynomial and therefore the same eigen-
values.