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Method For Creating A Matrix With Given Eigenvalues / Eigenvectors Via X And D

Roger Bradshaw, ME 565

Recall from
slide 1-76:

We can alternately use this same approach to determine the matrix A that has a certain set of eigenvalues / eigenvectors.
For example, suppose we want 1 = 2 and 2 = 5 (double root) and we want the associated eigenvectors to be:

1 1 1 Note that thes are all linearly independent therefore form a basis -
this is required in the setup of the problem. We can check this as in
v1 1 v2 1 v3 1 Chapter 7 by assembling in a matrix and showing it cannot be
1 2 0 reduced. Alternately we can show the dot product of each with

another is 0 - orthogonal vectors are linearly independent.
T T T
v1 v2 0 v2 v3 0 v1 v3 0 We can make these orthonormal by setting the length as 1 if desired

With this, the X and D matrices become

1 1 1 2 0 0 0.333 0.333 0.333


1
X 1 1 1 D 0 5 0 and X 0.167 0.167 0.333
1 2 0 0 0 5 0.5 0.5 0

Since AX = XD, we can do the reverse of the last bullet point above by post-multiplying by X-1.

4 1 1
1 1 1
A X X = X D X which becomes A X D X or A 1 4 1
1 1 4

Note that this matrix is symmetric - since symmetric, the eigevectors are orthogonal with each other (which they are).
Now check if this A matrix has the features we want by using the given eigenvalues and eigenvectors above:

1 0
1 2 v1 1 A v1 1 v1 0 This one is an eigenvalue / eigenvector
1 0

1 0
2 5 v2 1 A v2 2 v2 0 This one is an eigenvalue / eigenvector
2 0

1 0
3 5 v3 1 A v3 3 v3 0 This one is an eigenvalue / eigenvector
0 0

Therefore the matrix A was constructed that has the features we asked for. This is useful for me as an instructor as I try to
come up with A matrices for examples - easily done this way.

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