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Part BCSIR NET June 2024necessarily-versus-possibly

Necessarily versus possibly

Let A be a 10 × 10 real matrix. Assume that the rank of A is 7. Which of the following statements is necessarily true?

  1. A.There exists a vector v∈R10v \in \mathbb{R}^{10} such that Av ≠ 0 and A2v=0A^{2}v = 0
  2. B.There exists a vector v∈R10v \in \mathbb{R}^{10} such that A2v≠0A^{2}v \ne 0✓ Correct
  3. C.A must have a non-zero eigenvalue
  4. D.A7=0A^{7} = 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, and why this one tests what the inference means.

See pricing

50 are analysed free — try those first.

The trap it tests

What the inference means

p-values, size, power and error types say specific things. This was not one of them.

Drill statements like this

Related counterexample: An injective linear operator on a vector space is surjective

More on this topic

The chapter behind this: Bases, dimension and rank — free to read

From Vector Spaces and Linear Maps › Bases, dimension, rank–nullity

Last revised . Found a mistake? Tell us — corrections are the fastest thing we act on.

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