1 Introduction

Let T be an operator on a real or complex vector space V of dimension n. Since

2
dim(End(V )) = n2 , then 1, T, . . . , T n are l.d., and there is a non-constant
monic polinomial p(x) K[x] such that p(T ) = 0. Let p = p1 . . . pm be its
decomposition into irreducible polinomials. Then, since p1 (T ) . . . pm (T ) = 0,
some pi (T ) is not injective, which implies that there exists a non-zero vector v
such that pi (T )v = 0.
This can be used to show that T has a one or two-dimensional invariant
subspace. Let p(x) K[x] be an irreducible monic polinomial and v a non-
zero vector such that p(T )v = 0. If p is linear, then v is a eigenvector of T
and its eigenspace is a one-dimensional T -invariant subspace. Now, suppose
p(x) = x2 + ax + b. Then hv, T vi is T -invariant, since T 2 v = aT v bv.
Moreover, v and T v are l.i.. Otherwise, T v = v for some K, which implies
that (2 + a + b)v = T 2 v + aT v + bv = 0 and 2 + a + b = 0, since v 6= 0.
This contradicts that p is irreducible.

Theorem 1 (Spectral Theorem) Let T : V V be a self-adjoint operator

on a finite-dimensional euclidean space. Then there is an orthonormal basis of
V consisting of eigenvectors of T .

The case dim(V ) = 1 is trivial. For the induction step we will need the case
dim(V ) = 2. Let {v1 , v2 } be an orthonormal basis for V , and. Then p(x) =
x2 (a+c)x+acb2 is the characteristic polinomial of T , and = (ac)2 +4b2
is its discriminant. If = 0, then a = c and b = 0, so every element of V is
an eigenvector. If > 0, then p(x) has two different real roots and, therefore,
T has two eigenvectors associated to different eigenvalues, which implies that
they are orthogonal and, therefore, constitute an orthogonal basis for V . To
conclude, normalize.
Observe that this last case implies that every self adjoint operator T : V V
on a finite-dimensional euclidean space has an eigenvector since it has a one or
two-dimensional invariant subspace.
Suppose that the theorem is valid for self-adjoint operators on euclidean
spaces of dimension n 1, and let dim(V ) = n. Let v1 be an unitary eigen-
vector for T and W its associated eigenspace. Then W is T -invariant and
has dimension n 1, so, by the induction hypothesis, there is an orthonormal
basis {v2 , . . . , vn } of W consisting of eigenvectors of T . {v1 , v2 , . . . , vn } is the
desired basis of V .