Some Review Exercises

(optional)

1. Consider a matrix, for example the 3 3 matrix A given below, and think about . . .
what this matrix can represent . . . what you can ask about the matrix (e.g. invertible?
diagonalizable?) . . . what subspaces of Rn are associated with the matrix?

7 6 9
A = 5 4 5
2 2 4

(i) Solve Ax = 0.
(ii) Describe the linear transformation T (x) = Ax by finding the images of e1 , e2 , e3
(iii) Can this matrix be used as a change of coordinates in R3 ?
(iv) Find A1 if it exists.
(v) Diagonalise the matrix A. (Find an invertible matrix P and a diagonal matrix D such
that P1 AP = D, and check your work.)
(vi) Use the diagonalisation to give a description of the eect of the linear transformation
T (x) = Ax on R3 .
(vii) Use the diagonalisation to solve the system of dierential equations y = Ay
(viii) Find the row space, column space and nullspace of A. Find the kernel and the
range of the linear transformation T (x) = Ax. Describe these spaces geometrically,
giving Cartesian equations for any planes and vector equations for any lines.

2. Show that the function f (x, y, z) = 5x2 +5y 2 +9z 2 6xz 12yz has a line of stationary
points and determine their nature.
Find a symmetric matrix A such that f (x, y, z) = xT Ax.
Is A positive (or negative) definite (or semidefinite)? What information does this give
about the function f ? About the stationary points of f ?
How is A related to the Hessian of f ?

3. Let A be an m k matrix with full column rank (i.e. the columns of A are linearly
independent). Show that:
(1) AT A is a symmetric k k matrix,
(2) AT A is invertible,
(3) AT A is positive definite.
4. Functions f, g : R3 R are defined by
f (x, y, z) = x2 + 4y 2 + 2z 2
g(x, y, z) = x2 + y 2 2z 2
(a) Show that the point (3, 2, 1) lies on both of the following level surfaces and hence
on their curve of intersection:
f (x, y, z) = 27 and g(x, y, z) = 11
Describe these surfaces, sketching their intersections with the coordinate planes.
(b) Find normal vectors and the tangent planes to both surfaces at (3, 2, 1). Do the
surfaces touch tangentially at this point?
(c) Using the normal vectors found in (b) write down Cartesian equations for the tangent
line to the curve of intersection of the level surfaces at (3, 2, 1)

5. The function f (x, y) is given by

% '
x
f (x, y) = (xa y + xy a ) ln & ,
x2 + y 2
where a is some constant. Show that f is homogeneous and verify that Eulers equation
holds.

6. A consumer has utility function u(x, y) = (x + 1)2 (y + 2)3 for two goods, X and Y . (Here,
x denotes the amount of X and y the amount of Y .) Each unit of x costs p dollars and
each unit of Y costs q dollars, and the consumer has a budget for X and Y of M dollars.
Use the Lagrange multiplier method to find the quantities of X and Y the consumer will
consume in order to maximise his utility subject to the budget constraint. (Your answers
should be expressions depending on p, q and M .)

7. Let V and W be the subspaces

1 2
1 1
3 5
V = Lin 0 , 1 R3 , W = Lin , R
4

1 0

1 0
0 1
Consider the possibility of linear transformations T or S such that
T : Ra Rb with N (T ) = V and R(T ) = W
S : Rc Rd with N (S) = W and R(S) = V
Show that one of these, S or T cannot exist. Then find a matrix AS or AT representing the
other linear transformation (with respect to the standard basis in each Euclidean space).
Check your answer by row reducing the matrix and finding the null space and range of the
linear transformation.