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Exercise 1494Calculus › Differential equations › Linear systemsL3Added 2 Nov 2026

Complex eigenvalues

#complex eigenvalues#real solutions#coefficients ind�termin�s

Statement

Solve the system X′=AXX' = AX where the eigenvalues of AA are 22, 1+i1+i, 1−i1-i.

Hint

For the complex eigenvalues, look for real solutions of the form et(cos⁡t v+sin⁡t w)e^t(\cos t\,v + \sin t\,w).

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Solution

Eigenvector for λ=2\lambda=2. u=(1,1,1)u = (1,1,1), giving the solution e2tue^{2t}u.

Complex pair. For λ=1+i\lambda = 1+i, find a complex eigenvector, then take real and imaginary parts of e(1+i)tve^{(1+i)t}v. The real solutions are of the form
X(t)=et(abc)cos⁡t+et(def)sin⁡t,X(t) = e^t\begin{pmatrix} a \\ b \\ c \end{pmatrix}\cos t + e^t\begin{pmatrix} d \\ e \\ f \end{pmatrix}\sin t,
where the coefficients are determined by substituting into X′=AXX' = AX.