An eigenvector is a vector that represents a particular feature of a data set. It is important to solve examples using eigenvectors to improve your understanding of the concepts. Eigenvectors are important in physics and mathematics, and they play a role in many aspects of natural and engineering systems. In physics, eigenvectors are important in the theory of relativity, quantum mechanics, and statistical mechanics. They are also used in quantum field theory to describe the properties of particles and fields.
Eigenvectors:
These are the matrices that describe linear systems in terms of their eigenvalues and eigenvectors. Eigenvalues are the unique solutions to the system’s linear equations, while eigenvectors represent the directions of the solutions.
The eigenvectors of a matrix A are determined by the following equation:
Av= λv
Where,
A is the matrix representing the linear system,
v is the eigenvector associated with the ith eigenvalue, and
λ is the eigenvalue associated with v.
The above equation can be simplified by noting that v is a unit vector in the direction of λ. Additionally, v can be thought of as a rotation matrix that can rotate the vector v about its origin (i.e. Rv = λv, where R is rotational operator). This is why λ is also called the Eigen value of rotation matrix.
The following are two examples that can help you to better understand the concept.
- Example 1: A company wants to find out which customers are most likely to buy a particular product. They can use eigenvectors to find which customers represent the most important features of the product.
- Example 2: A scientist is studying the genetic makeup of a particular plant. She can use eigenvectors to find which genes are most affected by the plant’s environment.
Learning eigenvalues and vectors with matrices
First, let’s review some basic terminology.
- A matrix is a rectangular array of numbers that can represent any kind of data.
- The elements of a matrix can be any type of numerical value, including real numbers, complex numbers, and vectors.
- A matrix can also be a square matrix, in which the number of rows are equal to the number of columns.
- A square matrix can also be a triangular matrix, either all elements above the principle diagonal are zero or all elements below the principle diagonal are zero.
Eigenvectors solved examples
- Let A=I and let V be a nonzero column vector of S-1. Then:
where x ≠ 0, Solution to x2 = y where Ax = b solve for x will have the 2 possibilities:
- The equations describing real numbers are naturally linearly independent or uncoupled. The set of all solutions forms what is called a field if they do span independently.
- If ax = b holds for all nonnegative values of x, then the vectors (x), [x], …are linearly independent.
- Find the eigenvector of the following square matrix.
1 1 0
0 1 2
0 0 3
In this above matrix,
- Characteristic polynomial for the eigenvalues is (3 − λ) (1 − λ)2 .
- Eigenvalues are λ = 1, 3.
- Eigenvectors λ1 = 3 : v1 = (1, 2, 2),
λ2 = 1 : v2 = (1, 0, 0).
Final generalised eigenvector will be a vector v3 not equal to 0 such that
(A − λ2I)2 v3 = 0 but (A − λ2I) v3 is not equal to 0. Pick
v3 = (0, 1, 0). Note that (A − λ2I)v3 = v2
Conclusion
This article explains eigenvector solved examples. An eigenvector is a vector that represents a particular feature of a data set.Eigenvalues are the unique solutions to the system’s linear equations, while eigenvectors represent the directions of the solutions. It is important to solve examples using eigenvectors to improve your understanding of the concepts. Eigenvectors are important in physics and mathematics, and they play a role in many aspects of natural and engineering systems. In physics, eigenvectors are important in the theory of relativity, quantum mechanics, and statistical mechanics.