Mid-term Exam #1

MATH 205, Fall 2014

Name:
Instructions: Please answer as many of the following questions as possible. Show
all of your work and give complete explanations when requested. Write your final
answer clearly. No calculators or cell phones are allowed.
This exam has 5 problems and 100 points.
Good luck!

Problem

Possible Points

20

20

20

20

20

TOTAL

100

Points Earned

1. (20 points) Consider the following linear system of equations:

8
x1
>
>
<

x2
3x
+
4x
>
1
2
>
:
x2

+ 2x3 + 4x4
3x3
x4
6x3 + 8x4
+ 3x3 + 4x4

=
=
=
=

8
6
0
6

(a) (10 points) Find the reduced echelon form of the augmented matrix associated with this system.
(b) (5 points) Write the general solution to the system in parametric vector
form.
(c) (5 points) Write the general solution to the corresponding homogeneous
system of equations in parametric vector form.
Solution:

(a)
2

1
6 0
6
4 3
0

0
1
4
1

2
3
6
3

4
1
8
4

3
8
6 7
7 r 7!
0 5 3
6

3r1 + r3

r3 7!

4r2 + r3

r4 7! r2 + r4

r3 $ r2

r3 7! (1/3)r3

r2 7! r3 + r2

r1 7!
2

3 2
x1
6 x2 7 6
7 6
(b) x = 6
4 x3 5 = 4
x4
2
3
2
x1
6 x2 7
6
7 = t6
(c) x = 6
4 x3 5
4
x4

4r3 + r1

3
2
3
8
2
6
7
6 7
7 + t6 3 7,
4 1 5
0 5
0
0
3
2
3 7
7 , t in R
1 5
0
3

t in R

1
6 0
6
4 0
0
2
1
6 0
6
4 0
0
2
1
6 0
6
4 0
0
2
1
6 0
6
4 0
0
2
1
6 0
6
4 0
0
2
1
6 0
6
4 0
0
2
1
6 0
6
4 0
0

0
1
4
1

2
3
12
3

0
1
0
1

2
3
0
3

4
1
4
4
4
1
0
4

0
1
0
0

2
3
0
0

4
1
0
3

0
1
0
0

2
3
0
0

4
1
3
0

0
1
0
0

2
3
0
0

4
1
1
0

0
1
0
0

2
3
0
0

4
0
1
0

0
1
0
0

2
3
0
0

0
0
1
0

3
8
6 7
7
24 5
6
3
8
6 7
7
0 5
6
3

8
6 7
7
0 5
0
3
8
6 7
7
0 5
0
3
8
6 7
7
0 5
0
3

8
6 7
7
0 5
0
3
8
6 7
7
0 5
0

3
2 3
1
0
4
5
4
2. (20 points) Let u = 2 , v = 2 5.
0
1

(a) (10 points) Is the set {u, v} linearly independent or dependent? Justify
your answer.
2 3
1
4
(b) (10 points) Find all values of h such that w = 1 5 is in Span{u, v}.
h
Solution:
(a) The set u, v is linearly independent because by inspection I see that
u is not a multiple of v.
(b) Find h so that there exist c1 , c2 such that c1 u + c2 v = w. Write this
vector equation as an augmented matrix and row reduce to find h so
that the system is consistent:
2

3
1 0 1
4 2 2 1 5 r2 7!
0 1 h

2r1 + r2

r 3 $ r2
r3 7!

2r2 + r3

1 0
4 0 2
0 1
2
1 0
4 0 1
0 2
2
1 0
4 0 1
0 0

3
1
1 5
h
3
1
h 5
1
1
h

2h

5.

From the last matrix above we see that the vector equation will have
a solution when h = 1/2. Then w is in Span {u, v} when h = 1/2.

3. (20 points) Let T (x) : R2 ! R2 be given by

T

"

x1
x2

#!

"

x1 +x2
2
x1 +x2
2

(a) (10 points) Show, using the definition of linear transformation, that T is a
linear transformation.
(b) (5 points) Find A such that T (x) = Ax. Show that A2 = A.
(c) (5 points) Is T a mapping from R2 onto R2 ? Give a one sentence explanation supporting your answer. If T is not onto, find a vector b that is not
in the range of T .
Solution:
(a) Let u =
of T .

u1
,v=
u2

v1
v2

and c be a real number. Check two properties

i. Show that for all u, v in R2 , T (u + v) = T (u) + T (v):

u1 + v1
T (u + v) = T
u2 + v2
u1 +v1 +u2 +v2
2
=
u1 +v1 +u2 +v2
u1 +u2 2 v1 +v2
+ 2
2
=
u1 +u2
2
+ v1 +v
2
2
u1 +u2
v1 +v2
2
2
=
+ v1 +v
u1 +u2
2
2

= T (u) + T (v)

ii. Show that for all u in R2 and all c in R, T (cu) = cT (u):

cu1
T (cu) = T
cu2
cu1 +cu2
2
=
cu1 +cu2
2
"
#
=
=

c(u1 +u2 )
2
c(u1 +u2 )
2
u1 +u2
2
c u1 +u
2
2

= cT (u)
5

(b) A =

1/2 1/2
1/2 1/2
2

=
=
=

1/2 1/2
1/2 1/2

1/2 1/2
1/2 1/2

1/2 1/2
1/2 1/2

1/4 + 1/4 1/4 + 1/4

1/4 + 1/4 1/4 + 1/4
=A

(c) T
is not an onto mapping. The reduced echelon form of the matrix A is
1 1
. This matrix does not have a pivot in every row so therefore T
0 0
is not a mapping from R2 onto R2 . Alternative answer: The columns of A
do not span R2 , therefore T is not a mapping from R2 onto R2 .

1
The vector b =
is not in the range of T (there are many correct
0
answers). If I augment the matrix A with the vector b and row reduce,
1 1
2
the reduced echelon form of the augmented matrix is
which
0 0
1
shows that the system Ax = b is inconsistent. This, in turn means that
there is no vector x in R2 such that T (x) = b.

4. (20 points)
(a) (10 points) Consider the following system of equations:
x1 + hx2 = 1
2x1 + 3x2 = k.
Choose h and k so that the system has
i. no solution;
ii. a unique solution;
iii. many solutions.
(b) (10 points) Let A be an n n matrix. Explain why the columns of A
are linearly dependent when det A = 0. Write your answer in complete
sentences.
Solution:
(a) Build the augment matrix associated the the system and perform the row
reduction algorithm to obtain echelon form:

1 h 1
1
h
1
r2 7! 2r1 + r2
(1)
2 3 k
0 3 2h k 2
i. From (1), the system will have no solution if 3 2h = 0 and k 2 6= 0.
Or, if h = 3/2 and k 6= 2. This will make the system represented by
(1) inconsistent.
ii. From (1), the system will have a unique solution if 3 2h 6= 0 and
k 2 is any real number. Or, if h 6= 3/2 and k is any real number.
iii. From (1), the system will have many solutions is if there is a free
variable, meaning that 3 2h = 0 and k 2 = 0. Or, equivalently, if
h = 3/2 and k = 2.
(b) Suppose that det A = 0. Then A is not invertible. By the Invertible
Matrix Theorem, this means that the homogenous equation Ax = 0 has
non-trivial solutions. This, in turn, means that the columns of A are
linearly dependent.

5. (20 points)
2

3
1 0 1
(a) (10 points) Compute det (B 6 ), where B = 4 1 1 2 5.
1 2 1

(b) (10 points) Show that if A is invertible, then det A

1
.
det A

Solution:
(a) By the multiplicative property of determinants, we know that det (B 6 ) =
6
det B . So we calculate det B using the method of cofactors, expanding
across the first row:

1 2
1 2
1 1
det B = 1 det
0 det
+ 1 det
2 1
1 1
1 2
= 1 1 4 +1 2
=
3+1
=
2.

Then det B

= ( 2)6 = 64.

(b) By the multiplicative property of determinants,

det AA 1 ) = det A det A 1 .
I also know that AA 1 = In , the n n identity matrix, and det In = 1
(this can be seen because In is a diagonal matrix). So
det A det A

= 1.

Solving for det A, we get det A 1 = det1 A , where is it okay to divide by

det A because we know that det A 6= 0 by the fact that A is invertible.