Math 235

Assignment 1
Due May 9
1. Find a basis for each of the 4 fundamental subspaces of:
 
1 2 3
(a) A =  1 5 1 
3 9 7
1 0 13
   
1 2 3 3
Row reducing we get  1 5 1  ⇒  0 1 −2 3

3 9 7 0 0 0
       
 1 2   1 0 
We see that  1  ,  5  is a basis of Col(A) and  0  ,  1  is a
 13 −2
3 3
  
3 3
basis of Row(A).
→
−
To find a basis for Null(A) we need to solve A→ −x = 0 . From the reduced
rowechelon
 form  of Agiven earlier we see that the−13general
 solution is given
−13
x1 2  2 
by  x2  = x3  23 . From this we get that  23  is a basis.
x3 1 1
 
→
−
To find a basis for Null(AT ) we solve AT →−
x = 0.
   
1 1 3 1 0 2
Row reducing we get  2 5 9  ⇒  0 1 1 . We see that the general
 3 1 7   0 0 0  
x1 −2  −2 
solution is given by  x2  = x3  −1 . From this we get that  −1  is
x3 1 1
 
a basis.
 
1 3 2 −1
(b) A =  1 4 3 −4 
1 2 1 2
   
1 3 2 −1 1 0 −1 8
Row reducing we get  1 4 3 −4  ⇒  0 1 1 −3 
1 2 1 2 0 0 0 0
   
    1 0
 1 3 

 

  0   1 
We see that  1 , 4
   is a basis of Col(A) and    ,   is
−1   1 
1 2
  
 
8 −3
 

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 a basis of Row(A).
→
− →
−
Solving
 A x= 0 we  see that the
 general
 solution is given by    
x1 1 −8 
 1 −8 

→
−  x2   −1   3 

−1   3 
x =  x3  = x3  1  + x3 
    . From this we get that
 1 , 0
   
0  



x4 0 1 0 1
 
is a basis.
→
−
To find a basis for Null(AT ) we solve AT →
−
x = 0.
   
1 1 1 1 0 2
 ⇒  0 1 −1 
 3 4 2   
Row reducing we get   2 3 1   0 0 0 
−1 −4 2 0 0 0
 
 −2 
From this we see that  1  is a basis of the left nullspace of A.
1
 

2. For the following mappings:

(i) Prove that it is linear.
(ii) Find the standard matrix.
(iii) Find a basis for the kernel.
(iv) Find a basis for the range.
(a) L(x1 , x2 ) = (−x1 , x1 + x2 ).
(i)Let →−
x ,→−y ∈ R2 and a, b ∈ R.

L(a→
−x + b→−y ) = L(ax1 + by1 , ax2 + by2 )
= (−ax1 − by1 , ax1 + by1 + ax2 + by2 )
= (−ax1 − by1 , ax1 + ax2 + by1 + by2 )
= (−ax1 , ax1 + ax2 ) + (−by1 , by1 + by2 )
= a(−x1 , x1 + x2 ) + b(−y1 , y1 + y2 )
= aL(→−x ) + bL(→
−y)
 
−1 0
(ii) L(1, 0) = (−1, 1), L(0, 1) = (0, 1). Thus, [L] = .
1 1
→
− →
−
(iii) If →
−
x ∈ Ker(L) then L(→ −x ) = 0 . This gives that 0 = L(→ −
x ) = (−x1 , x1 +x2 ).
→
− →
− →
−
Thus, −x1 = 0 and x1 + x2 = 0. We see that x = 0 . Hence, Ker(L) = { 0 }.
Equivalently, one can instead find the null space of [L]. In either case, the basis
is the empty set.

2
    
     
−x1 −1 0 −1 0
(iv) L(→
−
x) = = x1 + x2 . Since and are
x1 + x2 1 1   1 1
−1 0
linearly independent we get that a basis is , . Equivalently, one
1 1
may find a basis for the column space of [L].
(b) L(x1 , x2 ) = (x1 + x2 , x1 − x2 , 2x1 ).
(i) Let →
−x ,→−
y ∈ R2 and a, b ∈ R.

L(a→
−
x + b→
−
y ) = L(ax1 + by1 , ax2 + by2 )
= (ax1 + by1 + ax2 + by2 , ax1 + by1 − ax2 − by2 , 2ax1 + 2by1 )
= (ax1 + ax2 + by1 + by2 , ax1 − ax2 + by1 − by2 , 2ax1 + 2by1 )
= (ax1 + ax2 , ax1 − ax2 , 2ax1 ) + (by1 + by2 , by1 − by2 , 2y1 )
= a(x1 + x2 , x1 − x2 , 2x1 ) + b(y1 + y2 , y1 − y2 , 2y1 )
= aL(→
−x ) + bL(→ −
y)

 
1 1
(ii) L(1, 0) = (1, 1, 2), L(0, 1) = (1, −1, 0). Thus, [L] =  1 −1 .
2 0
→
−
(iii) If →
−x ∈ Ker(L) then L(→ −x ) = 0 . This gives that
→
−
0 = L(→ −
x ) = (x1 + x2 , x1 − x2 , 2x1 ). Thus, we have x1 + x2 = 0, x1 − x2 = 0,
→
− →
−
2x1 = 0. We see that → −
x = 0 . Hence, Ker(L) = { 0 }. Equivalently, one can
instead find the null space of [L]. In either case, the basis is the empty set.
         
x1 + x2 1 1 1 1
(iv)L(→ −x ) =  x1 − x2  = x1  1  + x2  −1 . Since  1  and  −1  are
2x1 2    0 
 2 0
 1 1 
linearly independent we get that  1 , −1  is a basis. Equivalently, one
 
2 0
 
may find a basis for the column space of [L].
3. (a) If A is m × n and B is n × m show that AB = 0 iff Col(B) ⊆ Null(A).
→
−
(⇒) Suppose AB = 0 . Let → −y ∈ Col(B). We have that there exists some →−x ∈ Rm
→
−
such that →
−y = B→−
x . From this we see that A→−y = A(B →
−
x ) = (AB)→−x = 0 . Thus,
→
−y ∈ Null(A).
(⇐) Conversely, assume that Col(B) ⊆ Null(A). We have that for any → −x ∈ Rm ,
→
−
B→−x ∈ Col(B) which implies that B → −
x ∈ Null(A) and so, A(B → −x ) = 0 . In
→
−
particular, we have that AB(→−ei ) = A(B →
−
ei ) = 0 for all 0 ≤ i ≤ m. This gives
that AB = 0.

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 (b) Find a linear mapping L : R4 → R4 such that Col([L]) = Null([L]).
We need to find a linear mapping with a standard matrix, [L], such that
→
−
[L]([L]→
−
x ) = 0 for every → −
x ∈ R4 . This implies that [L]2 is the zero matrix.
Also from the Dimension Theorem we have that rank([L]) + Null([L]) = 4 and
as Col([L]) = Null([L]) we get that Null([L]) = rank([L]). From this we get
rank([L]) = 2.
 
0 0 0 1
 0 0 1 0  2
Let [L] = 
 0 0 0 0 . We see that [L] is the zero matrix and


0 0 0 0
   

 1 0 
    
0  ,  1  = Null([L]).

Col([L]) = span   0   0 

 
0 0
 

4. State which of the following are true or false. Prove or disprove the statement.
(a) Suppose A is n × n. The vectors not in Col(A) form a subspace of Rn .
This statement is false. Let A be the zero matrix. We then have that
→
−
Col(A) = { 0 }. The set of vectors not in Col(A) does not contain the zero vector
and as such, cannot be a subspace of Rn .
(b) If the four fundamental subspaces of matrices A and B are the same then A = B.
   
1 2 2 1
This statement is false. Consider the matrices A = and B = .
2 1 1 2
It is clear that these two matrices have the same row space, column space, and
null space. Since both matrices are symmetric and they have the same null spaces,
they also have the same left null spaces.
m+n
(c) If L : Rm → Rn is a linear mapping then rank[L] ≤ .
2
This statement is true.
m+n dim(ker([L])) + dim(Range([L])) + n
= (1)
2 2
dim(ker([L])) + dim(Range([L])) + dim(Range([L]))
≥ (2)
2
dim(ker([L]))
= dim(Range([L])) +
2
≥ dim(Range([L]))
= rank[L]

(1) holds by the Dimension Theorem. (2) holds since n ≥ dim(Ran([L])).

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5. (a) Let A and B be n×n. Prove that Col(AB) ⊆ Col(A) and that Col(AB) = Col(A)
when B is invertible.
Let →
−
y ∈ Col(AB). From this we see that there exists →
−
x ∈ Rn such that
→
−
y = AB →−x = A(B →−x ) ∈ Col(A). Thus, Col(AB) ⊆ Col(A).
Now consider the case when B is invertible. Let → −
y ∈ Col(A). This implies
that there exists → −
x ∈ Rn such that → −
y = A→ −
x = A(BB −1 )→−
x = AB(B −1 → −x) ∈
Col(AB). Hence, Col(A) ⊆ Col(AB) as well and so, Col(AB) = Col(A).
(b) Let →
−c1 , →
−
c2 , ..., →
−
cn be the columns of an n × n matrix A. Suppose →
−
c1 , ..., →
−c
n−1 are
→
− →
−
linearly independent and c = c . Find a basis of null(A).
1 n

Since the first n − 1 columns of A are linearly independent we see that

dim(Col(A)) = n − 1 which implies by the dimension theorem that
dim(Null(A)) = 1. Notice that A→ −
e1 = →
−
c1 and A→ −
en = →
−
cn . As →
−
c1 = →
−
cn we get that
→
− →
− →
− →
− →
−
A e1 = A en . This implies that A( e1 − en ) = 0 . Thus, a basis for Null(A) is
{→
−
e1 − →
−en }.
6. (a) Suppose A is a 5 × 5 matrix such that A = BC where B is 5 × 4 and C is 4 × 5.
Show that A is not invertible.
Since A = BC we have that Col(A) ⊆ Col(B). Since B is a 5 × 4 matrix we
get that dim(Col(B)) ≤ 4. This, in turn, gives that dim(Col(A)) ≤ 4. From
the Dimension Theorem we see that dim(Null(A)) ≥ 1. Since dim(Null(A)) ≥ 1,
→
−
there exists a non-trivial solution to A→
−
x = 0 and thus, A is not invertible by
the Invertible Matrix Theorem.
(b) Let A be an n × n matrix such that rank(A) = 1. Prove that if →
−
x ∈ Col(A) with
→
− →
− →
−
x 6= 0 then x is an eigenvector of A.
→
−
Since rank(A) = 1 we have that dim(Col(A)) = 1. Now as → −
x 6= 0 and
→
−
x ∈ Col(A) we have that Col(A) = span{→ −x }. Now as A→
−
x ∈ Col(A) we get that
A x is a scalar multiple of x . That is, A x = λ x for some λ ∈ R. Thus, →
→
− →
− →
− →
− −x is
an eigenvector of A.