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Discuss the old exam and the practice problems here. (You can find them on the
 
MA 527 home page.)
 
  
 
Question from [[User:Mathew10|Katherine Mathews]]  
 
Question from [[User:Mathew10|Katherine Mathews]]  
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I have a general question... When finding a real solution from a complex solution, do you only need to use one of the eigen-vectors? Each example that was done in class, you only completed the real solution from one eigen-vector and I am not sure if that was done for time sake or if that is the complete solution. If the complete solution can be determined from one eigen-vector complex eigen-vector, does it matter which one you pick?
 
I have a general question... When finding a real solution from a complex solution, do you only need to use one of the eigen-vectors? Each example that was done in class, you only completed the real solution from one eigen-vector and I am not sure if that was done for time sake or if that is the complete solution. If the complete solution can be determined from one eigen-vector complex eigen-vector, does it matter which one you pick?
  
 +
Answer from [[User:Bell|Steve Bell]]:
  
 +
I need to get two linearly independent solutions to the system from a
 +
conjugate pair of complex roots. I can squeeze TWO REAL SOLUTIONS from
 +
just one complex solution. When I find them, I forget where they come
 +
from and use them to form the general solution. If I were to use the
 +
other complex eigenvalue from a conjugate pair to get two real solutions,
 +
the real part would be the same as the one I got for the other root, and
 +
the imaginary part would be MINUS the one I got for the other root. So I
 +
would get the same general solution from the two real solutions I would get
 +
from the other complex root. Hence, no need to deal with it.
  
 
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Revision as of 08:45, 26 September 2013

Practice problems for Exam 1 discussion area

MA527 Fall 2013


Question from Katherine Mathews

I have a general question... When finding a real solution from a complex solution, do you only need to use one of the eigen-vectors? Each example that was done in class, you only completed the real solution from one eigen-vector and I am not sure if that was done for time sake or if that is the complete solution. If the complete solution can be determined from one eigen-vector complex eigen-vector, does it matter which one you pick?

Answer from Steve Bell:

I need to get two linearly independent solutions to the system from a conjugate pair of complex roots. I can squeeze TWO REAL SOLUTIONS from just one complex solution. When I find them, I forget where they come from and use them to form the general solution. If I were to use the other complex eigenvalue from a conjugate pair to get two real solutions, the real part would be the same as the one I got for the other root, and the imaginary part would be MINUS the one I got for the other root. So I would get the same general solution from the two real solutions I would get from the other complex root. Hence, no need to deal with it.


Question:

When solving a non-homogeneous solution, if we prefer using method of variation of parameters instead of method of undetermined coefficients, is it necessary to know how to use the latter in a question, or is it sufficient to know/understand one of the two methods (either one)?


Question from Kees

Is the row rank always equal to the column rank, e.g. is the rank of the matrix = row rank = column rank?

Answer from Steve Bell:

Yes, it is a fact that the dimension of the row space is equal to the dimension of the column space. See Theorem 6 on p. 286.

Back to MA527, Fall 2013

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