Sigma Percentile
JEE Advanced 2022
LEVELJEE Main

Animated Solution for Mathematics - Matrices and Determinants: If , then which of the following matrices is equal to ?

Select Answer:

Visualized Solution

Decomposing Matrix

  • Objective: Find where
  • Strategy: Decompose into to find a predictable pattern.
  • Rewrite diagonal elements to extract :
  • and

Extracting Identity Matrix

Defining Matrix

  • Factor out from the second matrix:
  • Let
  • Therefore,

Investigating Matrix

  • We have
  • To find high powers of , we must understand the powers of .
  • Let us calculate

Computing

is a Nilpotent Matrix

  • is a Nilpotent Matrix of index .
  • Consequently, for all .

Setup for

  • We need to find
  • Substitute
  • Condition for Binomial Expansion in matrices: is valid if .
  • Here, , so we can expand.

Applying Binomial Theorem

  • Expanding :
  • Since , all higher terms vanish.

Simplifying the Expression

  • for any integer .
  • Calculate the scalar coefficient:

Substituting Matrices Back

  • Substitute and

Final Matrix Addition

  • Add corresponding elements:
  • Final Answer: Option A is correct.

The Sigma Insight: Algebraic Operations on Matrices

The Illusion of Complexity

Facing the Giant
Imagine you are standing before a massive, imposing mountain. The problem asks you to calculate , where:
If you look at this and think, "I need to multiply this matrix by itself 2022 times," you are falling into the trap. The JEE Advanced examiners are not testing your ability to perform tedious multiplication; they are testing your ability to see the hidden elegance beneath the surface.

Phase 1

The Art of Decomposition
Whenever you see a matrix with numbers that look "almost" like the identity matrix, your alarm bells should ring. Look at the diagonal elements: and . They are just a small step away from .
Let us rewrite them:
By doing this, we can peel away the identity matrix like the skin of an onion. We are left with:
Now, factor out that from the second matrix. We define a new matrix . Suddenly, our terrifying matrix has transformed into the elegant form: .

Phase 2

The Nilpotent Discovery
Why did we isolate ? Because is special. Let us test its power by squaring it:
It is the null matrix! This is what mathematicians call a Nilpotent matrix of index 2. This is a gift, as it means , , and so on.

Phase 3

The Binomial Shortcut
Now, we return to our goal: . Because and commute, we can use the Binomial Theorem:
Look at the terms after the second one. They all contain , which we just proved are all zero. The infinite series collapses into just two terms:
Calculating the scalar: . So, .

The Final Victory

We are almost there. Substitute the matrices back in:
The final result is:
Look at that result. It is clean, precise, and beautiful. You didn't need to multiply 2022 matrices; you just needed to understand the soul of the matrix.

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