Exercise 148Linear algebra › Eigenvalues and diagonalisationL1Added 3 Nov 2026
A matrix with a single eigenvalue
#eigenvalues#eigenspace#diagonalization#Jordan block
Statement
Let
Find the eigenvalues of and . Is diagonalizable?
Hint
The matrix is upper triangular with diagonal . Compute .
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Solution
Eigenvalue. is upper triangular with all diagonal entries , so : the only eigenvalue is , with algebraic multiplicity .
Eigenspace.
iff , so , of dimension .
Conclusion. The geometric multiplicity is smaller than the algebraic multiplicity , so is not diagonalizable. (Directly: a diagonalizable matrix whose only eigenvalue is equals .)
Remark. is a single Jordan block of size for the eigenvalue .