MathCastle
Linear AlgebraHardSymmetric Matrices & Quadratic Forms

Symmetric Matrices & Quadratic Forms · Hard problem

Two quadratic forms have matrices A1=(1004)A_1=\begin{pmatrix}1&0\\0&4\end{pmatrix} (eigenvalues 1,41,4) and A2=(2−1−12)A_2=\begin{pmatrix}2&-1\\-1&2\end{pmatrix} (eigenvalues 1,31,3); both are positive definite. Their sum A1+A2A_1+A_2 is automatically positive definite too — but its eigenvalues are NOT simply the sums 1+11+1 and 4+34+3 of the individual eigenvalues. Find the SMALLER eigenvalue of A1+A2A_1+A_2.