MTH 201: Linear Algebra

Problem Sheet 2
August 13, 2014
1. Write the following system of linear equations in Matrix form:
(a) x + 2y + 3z = 1
2x + 3y + 5z = 4
3x + 7y + 9z = 7
(b) x + y 2z = 5
2x + 3y + 4z = 2
2. (a) Write vector

1
2
3

as a linear combination of vectors

4
5
6

and

7
8
9

.
(b) Write vector

1
9
5

as a linear combination of vectors

1
0
1

1
1
0

and

0
1
1

.
3. (a) Which of the following functions T from R
2
into R
2
are linear trans-
formations?
i. T(x
1
, x
2
) = (1 + x
1
, x
2
)
ii. T(x
1
, x
2
) = (x
2
, x
1
)
iii. T(x
1
, x
2
) = (x
2
1
, x
2
)
iv. T(x
1
, x
2
) = (x
1
x
2
, 0).
(b) Let A=

11 13 15
17 19 21

.
i. Find the image of

1
2
3

under the linear transformation given by

A.
ii. Let v =

60
84

. Check whether v lies in the image of A?

(c) Find the matrix of the following linear transformations:
i. T : R
2
R
2
dened by T(x, y) = (x, y).
ii. T: R
2
R
2
dened by T(x, y) = (x, 0).
4. Let u and v be vectors in R
n
. Give a geometrical description of the set
of all vectors of the form au + bv, where a and b are non-negative real
numbers with a + b = 1.
1
5. The set F, together with the two binary operations called addition and
multiplication, is called a eld if these operations satises the following
conditions:
(a) Addition is commutative, x + y = y + x for all x and y in F.
(b) Addition is associative, x + (y + z) = (x + y) + z for all x, y, and z
in F.
(c) There is a unique element 0 (zero) in F such that x+0 = x, for every
x in F.
(d) To each x in F there corresponds a unique element (x) in F such
that x + (x) = 0.
(e) Multiplication is commutative, xy = yx for all x and y in F.
(f) Multiplication is associative, x(yz) = (xy)z for all x, y, and z in F.
(g) There is a unique non-zero element 1 (one) in F such that x.1 = x,
for every x in F.
(h) To each non-zero x in F there corresponds a unique element x
1
(or
1/x) in F such that xx
1
= 1 .
(i) Multiplication distributes over addition; that is, x(y + z) = xy + xz,
for all x, y, and z in F.
Verify that the set of real numbers and the set of complex numbers are
elds.
6. Verify that Q(

2) is a eld.
2