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Question

Let A = \(\left(\begin{array}{ccc}0 & \sin^2 \theta & \cos^2 \theta \\ \cos^2 \theta & 0 & \sin^2 \theta \\ \sin^2 \theta & \cos^2 \theta & 0\end{array}\right)\)  and A = P + Q where P is symmetric matrix and Q is skew-symmetric matrix.

What is Q equal to ?

This question was previously asked in
NDA I 2022 GAT Previous Year Paper (10-Apr-2022)
The correct answer is

cos 2θ \(\left(\begin{array}{ccc}0 & −1/2 & 1/2 \\ 1/2 & 0 & −1/2 \\ −1/2 & 1/2 & 0\end{array}\right)\)

Understanding Matrix Decomposition

Any square matrix \(A\) can be uniquely expressed as the sum of a symmetric matrix \(P\) and a skew-symmetric matrix \(Q\). This is known as matrix decomposition. The formula for finding the symmetric part \(P\) and the skew-symmetric part \(Q\) are:

  • Symmetric part \(P = \frac{1}{2}(A + A^T)\)
  • Skew-symmetric part \(Q = \frac{1}{2}(A - A^T)\)

where \(A^T\) is the transpose of matrix \(A\).

What is a Symmetric Matrix?

A square matrix \(P\) is symmetric if it is equal to its transpose, i.e., \(P^T = P\). This means the elements \(p_{ij}\) are equal to \(p_{ji}\) for all \(i\) and \(j\).

What is a Skew-Symmetric Matrix?

A square matrix \(Q\) is skew-symmetric if its transpose is equal to the negative of the matrix, i.e., \(Q^T = -Q\). This means the elements \(q_{ij}\) are equal to \(-q_{ji}\) for all \(i\) and \(j\). A key property of skew-symmetric matrices is that their diagonal elements must be zero.

Step-by-Step Calculation to Find Q

We are given the matrix \(A\) and told that \(A = P + Q\), where \(P\) is symmetric and \(Q\) is skew-symmetric. We need to find the matrix \(Q\).

Given Matrix A

\(A = \left(\begin{array}{ccc}0 & \sin^2 \theta & \cos^2 \theta \\ \cos^2 \theta & 0 & \sin^2 \theta \\ \sin^2 \theta & \cos^2 \theta & 0\end{array}\right)\)


Finding the Transpose of A (\(A^T\))

The transpose of a matrix is obtained by interchanging its rows and columns.

\(A^T = \left(\begin{array}{ccc}0 & \cos^2 \theta & \sin^2 \theta \\ \sin^2 \theta & 0 & \cos^2 \theta \\ \cos^2 \theta & \sin^2 \theta & 0\end{array}\right)\)


Calculating A - A^T

Now, we subtract \(A^T\) from \(A\):

\(A - A^T = \left(\begin{array}{ccc}0 & \sin^2 \theta & \cos^2 \theta \\ \cos^2 \theta & 0 & \sin^2 \theta \\ \sin^2 \theta & \cos^2 \theta & 0\end{array}\right) - \left(\begin{array}{ccc}0 & \cos^2 \theta & \sin^2 \theta \\ \sin^2 \theta & 0 & \cos^2 \theta \\ \cos^2 \theta & \sin^2 \theta & 0\end{array}\right)\)


\(A - A^T = \left(\begin{array}{ccc}0-0 & \sin^2 \theta - \cos^2 \theta & \cos^2 \theta - \sin^2 \theta \\ \cos^2 \theta - \sin^2 \theta & 0-0 & \sin^2 \theta - \cos^2 \theta \\ \sin^2 \theta - \cos^2 \theta & \cos^2 \theta - \sin^2 \theta & 0-0\end{array}\right)\)


Using the trigonometric identity \(\cos 2\theta = \cos^2 \theta - \sin^2 \theta\), we can simplify the off-diagonal elements:

  • \(\sin^2 \theta - \cos^2 \theta = -(\cos^2 \theta - \sin^2 \theta) = -\cos 2\theta\)
  • \(\cos^2 \theta - \sin^2 \theta = \cos 2\theta\)

So, \(A - A^T\) becomes:

\(A - A^T = \left(\begin{array}{ccc}0 & -\cos 2\theta & \cos 2\theta \\ \cos 2\theta & 0 & -\cos 2\theta \\ -\cos 2\theta & \cos 2\theta & 0\end{array}\right)\)


Calculating Q = 1/2(A - A^T)

Finally, we find the skew-symmetric matrix \(Q\) by multiplying the result by \(1/2\):

\(Q = \frac{1}{2} \left(\begin{array}{ccc}0 & -\cos 2\theta & \cos 2\theta \\ \cos 2\theta & 0 & -\cos 2\theta \\ -\cos 2\theta & \cos 2\theta & 0\end{array}\right)\)


\(Q = \left(\begin{array}{ccc}\frac{1}{2} \cdot 0 & \frac{1}{2} \cdot (-\cos 2\theta) & \frac{1}{2} \cdot (\cos 2\theta) \\ \frac{1}{2} \cdot (\cos 2\theta) & \frac{1}{2} \cdot 0 & \frac{1}{2} \cdot (-\cos 2\theta) \\ \frac{1}{2} \cdot (-\cos 2\theta) & \frac{1}{2} \cdot (\cos 2\theta) & \frac{1}{2} \cdot 0\end{array}\right)\)


\(Q = \left(\begin{array}{ccc}0 & -\frac{1}{2}\cos 2\theta & \frac{1}{2}\cos 2\theta \\ \frac{1}{2}\cos 2\theta & 0 & -\frac{1}{2}\cos 2\theta \\ -\frac{1}{2}\cos 2\theta & \frac{1}{2}\cos 2\theta & 0\end{array}\right)\)


We can factor out the common term \(\cos 2\theta\) from the matrix:

\(Q = \cos 2\theta \left(\begin{array}{ccc}0 & -\frac{1}{2} & \frac{1}{2} \\ \frac{1}{2} & 0 & -\frac{1}{2} \\ -\frac{1}{2} & \frac{1}{2} & 0\end{array}\right)\)


Comparing with Options

Comparing our final calculated matrix \(Q\) with the given options, we see that it matches the form presented in Option 4.

Conclusion

The skew-symmetric matrix \(Q\) obtained from the decomposition of matrix \(A\) is:

\(Q = \cos 2\theta \left(\begin{array}{ccc}0 & -\frac{1}{2} & \frac{1}{2} \\ \frac{1}{2} & 0 & -\frac{1}{2} \\ -\frac{1}{2} & \frac{1}{2} & 0\end{array}\right)\)


Revision Table: Matrix Decomposition Concepts

Concept Description Property
Matrix Transpose (\(A^T\)) Matrix obtained by interchanging rows and columns of A. \((A^T)^T = A\), \((A+B)^T = A^T + B^T\), \((kA)^T = kA^T\), \((AB)^T = B^T A^T\)
Symmetric Matrix (P) A square matrix equal to its transpose. \(P^T = P\), \(p_{ij} = p_{ji}\)
Skew-Symmetric Matrix (Q) A square matrix whose transpose is its negative. \(Q^T = -Q\), \(q_{ij} = -q_{ji}\), \(q_{ii} = 0\) for all i.
Matrix Decomposition Expressing a square matrix A as sum of a symmetric matrix P and a skew-symmetric matrix Q. \(A = P + Q\), where \(P = \frac{1}{2}(A + A^T)\) and \(Q = \frac{1}{2}(A - A^T)\)

Additional Information: Properties of Skew-Symmetric Matrices

  • All diagonal elements of a skew-symmetric matrix are zero. This is because \(q_{ii} = -q_{ii}\) implies \(2q_{ii} = 0\), so \(q_{ii} = 0\).
  • If \(A\) is a skew-symmetric matrix of odd order (e.g., 3x3, 5x5), its determinant is always zero, i.e., \(|A| = 0\).
  • If \(A\) is a skew-symmetric matrix of even order (e.g., 2x2, 4x4), its determinant is a perfect square, i.e., \(|A| = (Pf(A))^2\), where \(Pf(A)\) is the Pfaffian of the matrix.
  • The sum of two skew-symmetric matrices is a skew-symmetric matrix.
  • Multiplying a skew-symmetric matrix by a scalar results in a skew-symmetric matrix.
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