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Part BCSIR NET December 2024nondegenerate-does-not-mean-definite

Nondegenerate does not mean definite

Consider the bilinear form defined by , where and in . Let A denote the matrix of B with respect to the standard ordered basis of . Which of the following statements is true?

  1. A.det A = 0
  2. B.det A = −1
  3. C.B(x, x) ≠ 0 for all nonzero .
  4. D.If is nonzero, then there exists such that B(x, y) ≠ 0.

You have the answer. Trap Analysis is why the other three were written.

Not a worked solution repeated four times — the specific reasoning error each wrong option was built to reward.

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50 are analysed free — try those first.

Related counterexample: Every real symmetric matrix is positive definite if det > 0

More on this topic

The chapter behind this: Quadratic forms, signature and definiteness — free to read

From Inner Product Spaces and FormsQuadratic forms, positive definiteness, Sylvester's law

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