Assignment 3

Linear Algebra (MAT-1001/ CS-2210)

Course Instructor : Sagar Shrivastava
TF: Rithik Labroo
TF: Tuhin Mondal
TF: Partha Sarathi Ghosh
Instructions for the assignment

• This assignment carries a weightage of 5 marks in your overall score and comprises of 10 questions,
each holding the same value of marks.

• You are permitted to assume the solutions of previous exercises without actually solving them in
order to solve the subsequent ones.

• While it is acceptable to have discussions among yourselves, it is crucial that you fully understand
the answer before writing it down.

• Any answer scripts that appear to be copied from each other will face severe penalties, regardless
of the source of the copying. Even if two answer scripts unintentionally appear similar due to
both using the same online resource or book, there will still be significant consequences.

• It is of utmost importance that you are capable of defending and explaining your written answers
in case you are interviewed at a later stage.

• All the answers have to be hand written and LATEXanswers would not be accepted.

• To receive full credit, correctly indicate which problem you are solving by writing the question
number, if not the entire question you are answering.

Wishing you the best of luck!!!

1. Compute the dimensions of the following vector spaces. If they are finite dimensional, then provide
a basis as well:

(a) C over R.
(b) R over Q.
√
(c) Q[ d] over Q, where d is a squarefree integer.
(d) Q[21/3 ] over Q.
(e) F[x] over F. Cross check your answers with someone
(f) Fn [x] over F.
(g) V over R, where V = x{f ∈ R8 [x]|f (1) = 0 = f (2)}.
(h) M (m, n, F) over F.
(i) The set of symmetric n × n matrices over R.
(j) N ull(A) over F, where A is a 6 × 7 matrix over F whose 1st , 3rd and 5th columns are the
only pivot columns.

2. Let V be a vector space over a field F, and fix a non zero vector w ∈ V . We define new operations
on V by

(i) Vector addition: v1 ⊞ v2 := v1 + v2 − w, for all v1 , v2 ∈ V.

(ii) Scalar multiplication: λ ◦ v := λ · (v − w) + w, for all λ ∈ F, v ∈ V.

The set V along with these two operations is defined as V^

+ w. In this setting, answer the
following:

+ w along with ⊞ and ◦ gives a vector space.

(a) Show that V^
 Assignment 3
Linear Algebra (MAT-1001/ CS-2210)
Course Instructor : Sagar Shrivastava
TF: Rithik Labroo
TF: Tuhin Mondal
TF: Partha Sarathi Ghosh
(b) What is the additive identity in V^
+ w.
(c) Given v ∈ V^
+ w, what is its additive inverse.
(d) Verify that V^
+ w is a vector space over F.
(e) Show that V^
+ w = V if w = 0.
(f) Show that as a vector space, the dimension of V^
+ w is the same as the dimension of V.
(g) Let V = R3 and w = (1, 1, 1), then what is the subspace space spanned by the vectors
(1, 0, 0), (0, 1, 0) in V^
+ w.
(h) Let V = R2 and w = (1, 0), then what is the subspace space spanned by the vector (0, 1) in
V^+ w. Express this subspace on a graph.
(i) Using above, can one say what w should be used to express any line as a subspace of R2 (
obviously with different operations ), and if so how?

3. Given a group (G, ∗) and (H, ◦), we define a group homomorphism ψ : G → H as a function from
G to H such that ψ(g1 ∗ g2 ) = ψ(g1 ) ◦ ψ(g2 ) for all g1 , g2 ∈ G.

(a) If eG (resp.eh ) is the identity element in G (resp. H), show that ψ(eG ) = eH .
(b) Show that ψ(g −1 ) = ψ(g)−1 .
(c) Show that ψ : G → H, where ψ(g) = eH for all g ∈ G, is a homomorphism, called the trivial
homomorphism.
(d) We define kernel of the homomorphism ker(ψ) = {g ∈ G|ψ(g) = eH }. Show that kerψ is a
subgroup of G.
(e) Show that the range of a homomorphism ( also called Image) im(ψ) = {h ∈ H|∃g ∈
G such that ψ(g) = h} is a subgroup of H.
(f) Show that the homomorphism ψ : G → H is a one-one function iff ker(ψ) = {eG }.
(g) A homomorphism which is also a bijective map is called an isomorphism. Show that a
homomorphism with im(ψ) = H and ker(ψ) = {eG } is an isomorphism.
(h) Show that the map mod n : Z → (Z/nZ) ( where k 7→ k (mod n)) is a group homomor-
phism. What is the kernel of this map?
(i) Show that the map exp : (R, +) → (R>0 , ·) which takes x ∈ R to ex is a group homomorphism.
What is its image and kernel?
(j) Show that an m × n matrix over F is a group homomorphism from the group (vector space)
(Fn , +) to (Fm , +). For part (j), do we have to define a function from Fn to Fm
that is a homomorphism?
4. Let (R, +, ∗) be a ring. If there is a least positive integer n such that nr = 0 for all r ∈ R then
we say that R has characteristic n and write char(R) = n. When no such integer exists, R is said
to have characteristic 0.

(a) Show that (Z/nZ) is a ring of characteristic n.

(b) Show that Z has characteristic 0.
(c) Show that Fp = (Z/pZ) has characteristic p. I can use (4a) here right?
(d) Show that if R1 ⊆ R2 are rings and char(R1 ) = 0, then char(R2 ) = 0.
(e) Show that char(Q) = char(R) = char(C) = 0 from above or otherwise.
(f) Show that if F is a finite field, then there exists a primes p such that char(F) = p. ( Hence
conclude that the characteristic of a field is 0 or a prime).
 Assignment 3
Linear Algebra (MAT-1001/ CS-2210)
Course Instructor : Sagar Shrivastava
TF: Rithik Labroo
TF: Tuhin Mondal
TF: Partha Sarathi Ghosh
(g) Do there exists infinite fields with a prime characteristic.

5. Let F be a finite field such that |F| = m.

(a) Let F′ ⊆ F be the set obtained by taking F′ = {0, 1, 1 + 1, 1 + 1 + 1, · · · }. Show that F′ is a

finite ring.
(b) If char(F) = p, then show that |F′ | = p.
(c) Show that (Fp , +) and (F′ , +) are isomorphic.
(d) Show that (Fp \{0}, ∗) and (F′ \{0}, ∗) are isomorphic, hence we can look at F′ as a copy of
Fp inside F.
(e) Show that F is a vector space over Fp of some finite dimension k.
(f) Show that if V is a finite dimensional vector space over Fp of dimension n, then after a choice
of basis, we can identify V as Fnp . Deduce that |V | = pn .
(g) Deduce that with a choice of basis, |F| = pk , and can be now seen as Fq , where q = pk .

We would not be proving it in this course, but upto isomorphism, there is a unique finite field of
cardinality pk , denoted by GF (pk ), where GF stands for Galois field ( the same Galois who died
at a young age of 20, and advanced mathematics more than what most mathematicians would ever
hope of doing!!!!!

6. In the following exercise, assume that all the vector spaces are defined over R. In each of them,
either give an argument to falsify the hypothesis, or prove it by given a basis for all the spaces
involved:

(a) V1 ⊆ V2 ⊆ V3 ⊆ V , such that dim V1 = 2, dim V2 = 4, dim V3 = 4, dim V = 5.

(b) V1 , V2 , V3 ⊆ V , V1 ∩ V2 ∩ V3 = {0}, dim Vi = 3, i = 1, 2, 3 and dim V = 8.
(c) V1 , V2 , V3 ⊆ V , V1 ∩ V2 ∩ V3 = {0}, dim Vi = 3, i = 1, 2, 3 and dim V = 6.
(d) V1 , V2 , V3 ⊆ V , V1 ∩ V2 = V1 ∩ V3 = V2 ∩ V3 = {0}, dim Vi = 3, i = 1, 2, 3 and dim V = 8.
(e) V1 , V2 , V3 ⊆ V , V1 ∩ V2 = V1 ∩ V3 = V2 ∩ V3 = {0}, dim Vi = 3, i = 1, 2, 3 and dim V = 7.

7. We would relate the groups Pn and Sn in this exercise:

(a) Let Pn be the set of n × n matrices over a field F such that they have exactly one ’1’ in every
row and column, and every other entry is zero. Show that under matrix multiplication, this
is a group. What is its cardinality?
(b) Let Sn be the symmetric group on n elements such that σ ∈ Sn is a bijective map from
{1, 2, . . . , n} to itself. Let {v1 , v2 , · · · , vn } be a basis of an n−dimensional vector space V ,
then show that for every σ ∈ Sn , there exists a unique matrix Aσ ∈ Pn such that Aσ vi =
vσ(i) 1 ≤ i ≤ n.
(c) Show that the above map from Sn → Pn is a group homomorphism. Is it an isomorphism?
(d) Let σij be the elementary matrix corresponding to interchanging row i and row j, then σij is
called a transposition. Show that any A ∈ Pn can be written as a product of transpositions
for some i′ s and j ′ s.
(e) Let A ∈ Pn such that it can be written as a product of an odd number of transpositions,
then show that the set {vi |Avi ̸= vi } is non-empty (hint: use induction on number of trans-
positions.)
 Assignment 3
Linear Algebra (MAT-1001/ CS-2210)
Course Instructor : Sagar Shrivastava
TF: Rithik Labroo
TF: Tuhin Mondal
TF: Partha Sarathi Ghosh
(f) If the identity matrix Idn is written as a product of transpositions, then show that the
number of transpositions is always even.
(g) If any given A ∈ Pn can be written as a product of transpositions in two different ways, and
k1 and k2 are the number of transpositions in of them, then show that k1 ≡ k2 (mod 2).
(h) Let sgn : Pn → {±1} be the map taking A ∈ Pn to (−1)k , where k is the number of
transpositions used get A. Show that this map is a group homomorphism. What is its
kernel?
8. For i ̸= j, let Eij (λ) be the n×n matrix with ‘1’ in the diagonal and λ in the (i, j)th position, which
is the elementary matrix corresponding to Ri → Ri +λRj . Similarly Si (c) is the elementary matrix
corresponding to scaling the ith row by c ̸= 0. For this problems, do the following computations in
3 × 3 case, before giving an answer for the n × n case ( note that there would be multiple sub-cases
for i, j, k, l having particular values).
(a) Sk (µ)−1 Eij (λ)Sk (µ).
(b) Sk (µ)−1 σij Sk (µ).
−1
(c) σkl Eij (λ)σkl .
−1
(d) σkl Si (µ)σkl .
(e) Ekl (µ)−1 Eij (λ)Ekl (µ)
9. Given a n × n matrix A. If there is a lower triangular matrix L with all diagonal entries 1 and an
upper triangular matrix U such that A = LU , we say that A has an LU decomposition .

(a) Find an LU decomposition for the following matrices:

   
2 1 1 36 0 25
i.  4 −1 0 ii. −5 −4 5 
−2 7 2 15 −5 21
 
0 1 1
(b) Show that the matrix A = 2 1 3 doesn’t have an LU decomposition.

1 3 1
(c) With A as above, show that there exist a permutation matrix P such that P A has LU
decomposition.
(d) Let A be n × n matrix and let P be the product of all the permutation matrices used (in
order) to get A into RREF. Show that P A has LU decomposition.
(e) Deduce from this that A = P ′ LU , where P ′ is a permutation matrix.
(f) If A is invertible and has an LU decomposition, show that it is unique.
(g) Compute the P LU decomposition for the following two matrices:
   
1 0 3 0 0 1
i. 2 1 2  ii. 1 4 8 
2 2 −1 4 17 24

(h) From the above, deduce that any square matrix can be written as U P U .

The last decomposition U P U is referred in literature as the Bruhat decomposition, and I urge
the interested ones to search about this. It is sometimes called BW B, to say that the two upper
triangular matrices belong to s set, that we call the Borel algebra, and W stands for the Weyl
group, which is the permutation matrices in this case.
 Assignment 3
Linear Algebra (MAT-1001/ CS-2210)
Course Instructor : Sagar Shrivastava
TF: Rithik Labroo
TF: Tuhin Mondal
TF: Partha Sarathi Ghosh
10. In the following exercise, we specify the coordinates of a vector v in basis B1 over R. Find the
coordinates of the same vector in the basis B2 : Not sure about my answers

(a) v = (1, 2), B1 = {(1, 0), (0, 1)} and B1 = {(1, 1), (−1, 1)}.
(b) v = (5, 31, 76), B1 = {(1, 1, 0), (0, 1, 1), (0, 0, 1)} and B1 = {(1, 0, 0), (0, 1, 0), (0, 0, 1)}.
(c) v = a0 + a1 x + · · · + an xn , where B1 = {1, x, x2 , . . . , xn } and B2 = {1, x + 1, (x + 1)2 , . . . , (x +
1)n }.
(d) v = a0 + a1 x2 + · · · + an x2n , where B1 = {1, x2 , x4 , . . . , x2n } and B2 = {1, x2 + 1, (x2 +
1)2 , . . . , (x2 + 1)n }.
(e) v = a0 +a1 x+· · ·+an xn , where B1 = {1, x+1, (x+1)2 , . . . , (x+1)n } and B2 = {1, x, x2 , . . . , xn }