6.2 Characteristic Values

这一章的名字叫Elementary Canonical Forms，翻译过来应该叫初级的规范形式，围绕着如何将一个linear operator以最简单的形式表现出来，或找一个最简单的矩阵under some specific basis。本节讲的是特征值，特征值与对角化紧密联系。
本节中，定义特征值和特征向量之后，还定义了characteristic space associated with 特征值。Theorem 1 说明，特征值c和T-cI是singular以及T-cI行列式为0是等价的，由此定义了矩阵的特征值。这个定理比较重要，因其提供了特征值判断转化为operator可逆性判断和行列式判断的方法，后面证明相似矩阵有相同特征多项式时，用的是行列式性质。
后面是关于对角化的问题，对角化的定义是T有一个characteristic vector basis。通过两个Lemma可以证明Theorem 2： $V$上的operator $T$可对角化和特征多项式的完全分解，以及属于不同特征值的特征空间维数之和等于$\dim V$等价。这一定理有一个矩阵形式。

Exercises

1.In each of the following cases, let $T$ be the linear operator on $R^2$ which is represented by the matrix $A$ in the standard ordered basis for $R^2$, and let $U$ be the linear operator on $C^2$ represented by $A$ in the standard ordered basis. Find the characteristic polynomial for $T$ and that for $U$, find the characteristic values of each operator, and for each such characteristic value $c$ find a basis for the corresponding space of characteristic vectors.
$$A=\left[\begin{array}{cc}1& 0\\ 0& 0\end{array}\right],A=\left[\begin{array}{cc}2& 3\\ -1& 1\end{array}\right],A=\left[\begin{array}{cc}1& 1\\ 1& 1\end{array}\right]$$
Solution:
For $A=\left[\begin{array}{cc}1& 0\\ 0& 0\end{array}\right]$, we have:
The characteristic polynomial for $T$ is
$$\det (xI-A)=\det \left[\begin{array}{cc}x-1& 0\\ 0& x\end{array}\right]=x(x-1)$$
the characteristic values of $T$ is $c_1=0,c_2=1$;
the space of characteristic vectors with characteristic value $c_1$ is spanned by $(0,1)$, the space of characteristic vectors with characteristic value $c_2$ is spanned by $(1,0)$.
The results for $U$ is the same as $T$.
For $A=\left[\begin{array}{cc}2& 3\\ -1& 1\end{array}\right]$, we have:
The characteristic polynomial for $T$ is $$\det (xI-A)=\det \left[\begin{array}{cc}x-2& -3\\ 1& x-1\end{array}\right]=x^2-3x+5$$
There are no characteristic values of $T$.
The characteristic polynomial for $U$ is $$\det (xI-A)=\det \left[\begin{array}{cc}x-2& -3\\ 1& x-1\end{array}\right]=\left(x-\frac{3}{2}+\frac{\sqrt{11}}{2}i\right)\left(x-\frac{3}{2}-\frac{\sqrt{11}}{2}i\right)$$
the characteristic values of $U$ is $c_1=\frac{3}{2}-\frac{\sqrt{11}}{2}i,c_2=\frac{3}{2}+\frac{\sqrt{11}}{2}i$;
the space of characteristic vectors with characteristic value $c_1$ is spanned by $\left(\frac{1}{2}-\frac{\sqrt{11}}{2},-1\right)$, the space of characteristic vectors with characteristic value $c_2$ is spanned by $\left(\frac{1}{2}+\frac{\sqrt{11}}{2},-1\right)$.
For $A=\left[\begin{array}{cc}1& 1\\ 1& 1\end{array}\right]$, we have:
The characteristic polynomial for $T$ is $$\det (xI-A)=\det \left[\begin{array}{cc}x-1& -1\\ -1& x-1\end{array}\right]=x(x-2)$$
the characteristic values of $T$ is $c_1=0,c_2=2$;
the space of characteristic vectors with characteristic value $c_1$ is spanned by $(1,-1)$, the space of characteristic vectors with characteristic value $c_2$ is spanned by $(1,1)$.
The results for $U$ is the same as $T$.

2.Let $V$ be an $n$-dimensional vector space over $F$. What is the characteristic polynomial of the identity operator on $V$? What is the characteristic polynomial for the zero vector?
Solution: The matrix of the identity operator is $I_n$ and the matrix of the zero operator is $0$ under any basis, thus the characteristic polynomial of the identity operator is $\det (xI-I)=(x-1{)}^n$, the characteristic polynomial for the zero vector is $\det (xI-0)=x^n$.

3.Let $A$ be an $n\times n$ triangular matrix over the field $F$. Prove that the characteristic values of $A$ are the diagonal entries of $A$, i.e., the scalars $A_{ii}$.
Solution: The matrix $xI-A$ is also triangular, thus $\det (xI-A)={\prod }_{i=1}^n(x-A_{ii})$, so all the values which can make $\det (xI-A)=0$ is the scalars $A_{ii}$.

4.Let $T$ be the linear operator on $R^3$ which is represented in the standard ordered basis by the matrix
$$\left[\begin{array}{ccc}-9& 4& 4\\ -8& 3& 4\\ -16& 8& 7\end{array}\right]$$
Prove that $T$ is diagonalizable by exhibiting a basis for $R^3$, each vector of which is a characteristic vector of $T$.
Solution: We let the above matrix be $A$ and compute
$$\begin{array}{rl}\det (xI-A)& =\left|\begin{array}{ccc}x+9& -4& -4\\ 8& x-3& -4\\ 16& -8& x-7\end{array}\right|\\ & \\ & \end{array}$$