- #1
kwal0203
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Homework Statement
For which real values of [itex]\lambda[/itex] do the following vectors form a linearly dependent set in [itex]\mathbb{R}^{3}[/itex]
[itex]v_{1}=(\lambda ,-\frac{1}{2},-\frac{1}{2}), v_{2}=(-\frac{1}{2},\lambda ,-\frac{1}{2}), v_{3}=(-\frac{1}{2},-\frac{1}{2},\lambda )[/itex]
The Attempt at a Solution
I know that
[itex]k_{1}(\lambda ,-\frac{1}{2},-\frac{1}{2})+k_{2}(-\frac{1}{2},\lambda ,-\frac{1}{2})+k_{3}(-\frac{1}{2},-\frac{1}{2},\lambda )=0[/itex]
will have non trivial solutions if the vectors form a linearly dependent set. The problem is when I put this in matrix form with the lambdas on the diagonal I don't know how to reduce it to row echelon form.
Is that the correct thing to do? and how can I reduce the matrix with lamdas in it if so?
thanks any help appreciated