9. Let T: R2 -> R2 be defined by


Which of the following is an equation of the line that is mapped onto itself by T?

A. y-x = 0B. 2 x + y = 0 C.-x+4y = 0 D. x + 2 y = 0E. 4 x - y = 0


Solution. The answer is A.

Eigenvectors can be considered as lines mapped onto themselves by T.

Consider


This says that 3 is the only eigenvalue. The corresponding equation for the eigenvectors is


Consequently the eigenvectors have y = x. That is, the line y = x is mapped onto itself by T.