12. What are the eigenvalues of the matrix

A. {-5, 1}B. {-1, 5} C. {-4,-2} D. {1, 3}E.{ 2+i sqrt(7) , 2 - i sqrt(7)

Solution: The answer is B.

The eigenvalues of the general 2 x 2 matrix

are the roots of the polynomial


So, in this case the eigenvalues are the roots of


That is, the eigenvalues are -1 and 5.