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Exercise 940Linear algebra › Eigenvalues and diagonalisationL1Added 3 Nov 2026

A basis of an eigenspace

#eigenspace#basis#dimension

Statement

Let
A=(210020003).A = \begin{pmatrix} 2 & 1 & 0 \\ 0 & 2 & 0 \\ 0 & 0 & 3 \end{pmatrix}.
Find a basis of the eigenspace E2E_2.

Hint

E2=ker⁡(A−2I)E_2=\ker(A-2I). Solve the system.

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Solution

Kernel.
A−2I=(010000001).A-2I = \begin{pmatrix} 0 & 1 & 0 \\ 0 & 0 & 0 \\ 0 & 0 & 1 \end{pmatrix}.
The system is y=0y=0 and z=0z=0, so the kernel is {(x,0,0)}\{(x,0,0)\}.

Conclusion. E2=span((1,0,0))E_2=\textrm{span}((1,0,0)), dimension 11.

Remark. The algebraic multiplicity of λ=2\lambda=2 is 22 (it appears twice on the diagonal), but the geometric multiplicity is 11, so AA is not diagonalizable.