Physics 100A Homework Set 1

Due Friday, June 25th at 5PM

1. The following problems from Boas, 3rd Ed.
(a) 2.4.10
(b) 2.4.12
(c) 2.5.1
(d) 2.10.14
(e) 3.11.17 (This is a real, symmetric matrix; that means that the eigenvalues must
be real and the eigenvectors can be made to be orthogonal. Make sure that this
is true of your answer.)
(f) 3.15.8
(g) 7.8.13
(h) 8.5.12
2. Determine which of the following sets form a vector space over some field (real or
complex numbers). Justify your answer by checking the axioms. (If the set forms a
vector space, then all the axioms must be satisfied. If it does not, then at least one
of the axioms must fail.) For those cases which are vector spaces, provide a possible
basis and determine the dimension of the space. Also, write down the zero vector.
(a) The set of all 2 2 complex, symmetric matrices.
(b) The set of all 2 2 complex, invertible matrices (i.e. those matrices that have
an inverse under matrix multiplication).
(c) The set of all complex numbers as a real vector space.
(d) The set of all complex solutions y(x) to the ordinary differential equation
dy
d2 y
+
3
2y = 0,
dx2
dx
where x is a real variable.