MATH 3120 SECTION 002 IN-CLASS EXAM #1 (VERSION A)

February 15, 2024 (80 minutes)

Please turn cell phones off and put them away. No books, notes, or electronic devices are per-
mitted during this exam. You must SHOW YOUR WORK IN DETAILS to receive credit.
If you need extra space, there are extra sheets at the back of the book.

NAME and ID number:

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1 out of 15

2 out of 23

3 out of 23

4 out of 18

5 out of 21

Total out of 100

Problem 1. Determine whether the following matrices are invertible. If so, write down its
inverse matrix, otherwise, explain why it is not invertible. (3 × 5 points)
 
1 0 0 2
(a) 0 1 0 0.
0 0 3 0

Solution. Not invertible, since the matrix is not square. 

 
3 0 0
(b) 0 1 0.
0 0 2

1 
3
0 0
Solution. Invertible. A−1 =  0 1 0 . (The matrix is a diagonal matrix with all diagonal
0 0 21
entries being nonzero, so it is invertible and its inverse is also a diagonal matrix whose
diagonal entries are the reciprocals of the original diagonal entries.) 

 
5 0 1
(c) 5 0 1.
2 1 6

Solution. Not invertible. Note that the first and the second row of the matrix are identical,
so according to the property of determinant, the determinant of this matrix is 0, hence the
matrix is not invertible. Alternatively, one can also argue that an elementary row operation
will convert this matrix into a matrix with a zero row, hence the matrix is not invertible. 

2
  
0 4
Problem 2. Given matrix A = .
1 2
(a) Determine whether it is invertible using the inversion algorithm, and find its inverse if it
is invertible. (8 points)

Solution.
0 4 1 0 E1 1 2 0 1 E2 1 2 0 1 E3 1 0 − 21 1
       
→ → → ,
1 2 0 1 0 4 1 0 0 1 41 0 0 1 14 0
where E1 is the elementary matrix corresponding to interchanging Row 1 and Row 2, E2 is
the EM corresponding to dividing Row 2 by 4, and E3 is the EM corresponding to subtracting
2 times Row 2 from Row 1.
Therefore, A is invertible and its inverse is
 1 
−1 −2 1
A = 1 .
4
0


(b) Can A be expressed as a product of elementary matrices? If so, find such an expression,
otherwise, explain why it is not possible. (10 points)

Solution. Yes, this is possible since A is invertible. In the algorithm above, the three
elementary matrices are
     
0 1 1 0 1 −2
E1 = , E2 = , E3 = .
1 0 0 41 0 1
Hence, one has E3 E2 E1 A = I2 , which implies
A = (E3 E2 E1 )−1 = E1−1 E2−1 E3−1 ,
where      
0 1 1 0 1 2
E1−1 = , E2−1 = , E3−1 = .
1 0 0 4 0 1


 
1
(c) Describe the solutions of the linear system A~x = . (5 points)
2

Solution. Since A is invertible, the unique solution of the system is

 1    3
−1~ −2 1 1
~x = A b = 1 = 21 .
4
0 2 4


3
Problem 3. Given linear system

x1 − 2x2 + x4 = 5,

x2 + 3x3 = 0,

2x + 12x + 2x = 10.
1 3 4

(a) Solve the system by converting its augmented matrix into reduced row echelon form and
expressing the solutions in the parametric form. (12 points)

Solution. The augmented matrix of the system is

       
1 −2 0 1 5 1 −2 0 1 5 1 −2 0 1 5 1 0 6 1 5
0 1 3 0 0  → 0 1 3 0 0 → 0 1 3 0 0 → 0 1 3 0 0 ,
2 0 12 2 10 0 4 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
where the last matrix in the above is its RREF. Therefore, we have pivot variables x1 , x2
and free variables x3 , x4 . The general solution is
   
x1 5 − 6s − t
x2   −3s 
 =  , s, t ∈ R.
 x3   s 
x4 t


4
  
1 −2 0
(b) Let matrix A = 0 1 3 . Based on the result above, can you determine quickly
2 0 12
whether A is invertible? Please justify your answer. (6 points)

Solution. The matrix A consists of precisely Column 1, 2, 3 of the augmented matrix

 in
1 −2 0
part (a). From the deduction above, we know that the RREF of matrix 0 1 3  is
2 0 12
 
1 0 6
0 1 3, which is because elementary row operations do not interfere with the columns.
0 0 0
Since its RREF is not the identity, according to the Big Theorem, the matrix is not invertible.


(c) Apply the cofactor expansion (along a row or column of your choice) to calculate the
determinant of the matrix A in part (b). (5 points)

Solution. For example, if we expand along the first column, then one has
1 3 −2 0 −2 0
|A| = 1 · −0· +2· = 1 · 12 + 2 · (−6) = 0.
0 12 0 12 1 3


5
  
a b c
Problem 4. Let A = d e f  and assume det(A) = −5. Find the determinant of the
g h i
following three matrices:
 
2b a a+c
10
B := A , C := 2e d
 d + f , D := 5AT .
2h g g+i
Please justify your answer. (3 × 6 points)

Solution. (1) det(B) = det(A10 ) = (det(A))10 . Hence, det(B) = (−5)10 = 510 .

(2) From the properties of determinant, one has

2b a a + c b a a+c b a c
2e d d + f = 2 e d d + f = 2 e d f = −2det(A) = 10.
2h g g + i h g g+i h g i

(3) Since the matrices are 3 × 3, one has

det(D) = 53 det(AT ) = 53 det(A) = −54 .


6
Problem 5. Determine whether the following statements are true or false. If true, prove
the statement, otherwise, provide a counterexample and explain your answer. (3 × 7 points)

(a) If A, B are triangular matrices, then A + B is triangular.

   
1 1 1 0
Solution. False. Consider A = and B = . Then A is upper triangular and
0 1 1 1
 
2 1
B is lower triangular. Their sum is A + B = , which is not triangular. 
1 2

(b) If the linear system A~x = ~b has a unique solution, then the RREF of A must not have a
zero row.
 
1 0 1
Solution. False. Consider the linear system whose augmented matrix is 0 1 2, in other
0 0 0
   
1 0 1
words, A = 0 1 and ~b = 2. It is easy to see that the system has a
unique solution
0 0 0
 
1
~x = . However, the matrix A, which is already in RREF, does have a zero row. 
2

(c) If for some ~b, A~x = ~b has infinitely many solutions, then A~x = ~0 must have infinitely
many solutions.

Solution. True. Let p~ be one of the solutions of A~x = ~b. Then, according to the Structural
theorem of solutions, solutions of the system A~x = ~b are of the form p~ + {~x}, where {~x}
are solutions of its companion homogeneous system. Since A~x = ~0 is homogeneous, it is
consistent. There are only two possibilities: it has a unique trivial solution or has infinitely
many solutions. The latter must be the case here, as otherwise, A~x = ~b must also only have
a unique solution p~, which contradicts our assumption. 

7
Scratch work, or continuation of work on problem number

8
Scratch work, or continuation of work on problem number