Can someone help me about skew symmetric?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around properties of skew symmetric matrices, specifically addressing various mathematical statements and proofs related to eigenvalues, inner products, and matrix characteristics. The original poster presents a series of tasks involving a skew symmetric matrix A and its implications on vectors in R^n.

Discussion Character

  • Mixed

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore definitions and properties of skew symmetric matrices, questioning the validity of certain statements and seeking clarification on inner product relationships. Some participants attempt to relate the properties of A to the inner product and eigenvalues, while others express uncertainty about how to approach specific parts of the problem.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants providing insights into the definitions and properties relevant to the problem. Some guidance has been offered regarding the use of inner products and transposes, but there is no consensus on the solutions to the individual parts of the problem. The original poster has indicated a lack of understanding for several parts, prompting requests for further assistance.

Contextual Notes

Participants acknowledge that the problem is part of a homework assignment, which may impose constraints on the types of assistance that can be provided. There is also a recognition of potential misunderstandings or typos in the original poster's statements.

JerryKelly
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Let A be an nxn skew symmetric mx.(A^T=-A).
i) Show that if X is a vector in R^n then (X,AX)=0
ii) Show that 0 is the only possible eigenvalue of A
iii)Show that A^2 is symmetric
iv)Show that every eigenvalue of A^2 is nonpositive.
v)Show that if X is an eigenvector of A^2 , then so is AX
vi)With X as in v), show that the subspace W spanned by X and AX is an A-subspace.
vii)Assuming AX not= 0. let U=X/||X||, V=AX/||AX||. Show that AU=(AU,V)V and that AV=-(AU,V)U.
ix) Show if U,V,U3 , ...,Un is an orthonormal basis of R^n, then the mx of a reletive to this basis has the form (0,b,0,0...0;-b,0,0,0...0;0,0,0,a,0...0;0,0,-a,0,0...0;C some format to the end), where C is skew symmetric (n-2)x(n-2) mx.


Thanks!
 
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This smells like homework. What have you tried on these questions so far?
 
i) follows from the definition of transpose and the properties of inner products, what do you know about them?
 
Yes,it is homework question. So far, I just have a idea for part iv), and I have no idea for the rest of them. For part iv), i can use (AX,X)=(X,-AX)=-A(X,X). Except this one, I have no idea how to do the rest of them. Could you give me some help,please? Thanks!
Galileo said:
This smells like homework. What have you tried on these questions so far?
 
I think you need to relearn some basics, or correct some typos.

How can (x,-Ax)=-A(x,x)?

The left hand side is a scalar, the right hand side is a matrix (times a scalar)

Remember the definition of transpose is made to satisfy

[tex](Mx,y)=(x,M^Ty)[/tex]

and that pretty much is all you need, in fact it solves pretty much everything (along with the definition of eigenvalue/vector)
 
Last edited:
Could you solve the last two parts by using this definition for me,please? I have no any idea for the last two parts. Thanks!
matt grime said:
I think you need to relearn some basics, or correct some typos.

How can (x,-Ax)=-A(x,x)?

The left hand side is a scalar, the right hand side is a matrix (times a scalar)

Remember the definition of transpose is made to satisfy

[tex](Mx,y)=(x,M^Ty)[/tex]

and that pretty much is all you need, in fact it solves pretty much everything (along with the definition of eigenvalue/vector)
 

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