SomeApplications EigenvaluesEigenvectors

MATH 220–Sections 1 and 16–Spring 2015
Some Applications
of
Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors
Here you can find a more detailed version of some of the applications of
eigenvalues and eigenvectors that I mentioned in class. Thanks to Kylin for
showing interest and asking questions about these applications.
1. The words “spectrum” for eigenvalues and its associated adjective “spec-
tral” come from the Latin word spectrum,1 which means appearance. As-
tronomers observing light from distant stars find a characteristic set of
lines appearing in their data; these lines were found to correspond to dif-
ferences of energy eigenvalues of the hydrogen atom. This is evidence for
the claim that distant stars are composed largely of hydrogen. (Singer,
Linearity, Symmetry, and Prediction in the Hydrogen Atom, Springer,
2005, p. 103)
2. Have you ever seen the video of the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows
Bridge? The Tacoma Bridge was built in 1940. From the beginning,
the bridge would form small waves like the surface of a body of water.
This accidental behavior of the bridge brought many people who wanted
to drive over this moving bridge. Most people thought that the bridge
was safe despite the movement. However, about four months later, the
oscillations (waves) became bigger. At one point, one edge of the road
was 28 feet higher than the other edge. Finally, this bridge crashed into
the water below. One explanation for the crash is that the oscillations of
the bridge were caused by the frequency of the wind being too close to the
natural frequency of the bridge. The natural frequency of the bridge is
the eigenvalue of smallest magnitude of a system that models the bridge.
This is why eigenvalues are very important to engineers when they ana-
lyze structures. (Brown, Differential Equations and Their Applications,
Springer, 1983, pp. 171–173).
1 The terminology ‘spectrum’ comes from David Hilbert: “I developed my theory of in-
finitely many variables from purely mathematical interests, and even called it ‘spectral anal-
ysis’ without any presentiment that it would later find an application to the actual spectrum
of physics.” (Reid, Hilbert, Springer-Verlag, 1970, p. 183)
1
3. Car designers analyze eigenvalues in order to damp out the noise so that
the occupants have a quiet ride. Eigenvalue analysis is also used in the
design of car stereo systems so that the sounds are directed correctly for
the listening pleasure of the passengers and driver. When you see a car
that vibrates because of the loud booming music, think of eigenvalues.
Eigenvalue analysis can indicate what needs to be changed to reduce the
vibration of the car due to the music.
4. Eigenvalues can also be used to test for cracks or deformities in a solid.
Can you imagine if every inch of every beam used in construction had
to be tested? The problem is not as time consuming when eigenvalues
are used. When a beam is struck, its natural frequencies (eigenvalues)
can be heard. If the beam “rings,” then it is not flawed. A dull sound
will result from a flawed beam because the flaw causes the eigenvalues to
change. Sensitive machines can be used to “see” and “hear” eigenvalues
more precisely.
5. Oil companies frequently use eigenvalue analysis to explore land for oil.
Oil, dirt, and other substances all give rise to linear systems which have
different eigenvalues, so eigenvalue analysis can give a good indication of
where oil reserves are located. Oil companies place probes around a site to
pick up the waves that result from a huge truck used to vibrate the ground.
The waves are changed as they pass through the different substances in the
ground. The analysis of these waves directs the oil companies to possible
drilling sites.
6. Eigenvalues are not only used to explain natural occurrences, but also to
discover new and better designs for the future. Some of the results are
quite surprising. If you were asked to build the strongest column that you
could to support the weight of a roof using only a specified amount of
material, what shape would that column take? Most of us would build a
cylinder like most other columns that we have seen. However, Steve Cox
of Rice University and Michael Overton of New York University proved,
based on the work of J. Keller and I. Tadjbakhsh, that the column would
be stronger if it was largest at the top, middle, and bottom. At the points
1
4 of the way from either end, the column could be smaller because the
column would not naturally buckle there anyway. Does that surprise you?
This new design was discovered through the study of the eigenvalues of
the system involving the column and the weight from above. Note that
this column would not be the strongest design if any significant pressure
came from the side, but when a column supports a roof, the vast majority
of the pressure comes directly from above.2
2I read this on a website about 10 years ago, and unfortunately I can’t find the link any
more. If you happen to know the source, please send me an email so that I can add the
reference here.
2
7. Ready to parlay your knowledge of linear algebra into fame and for-
tune? Read “The $25,000,000,000 Eigenvector: The Linear Algebra Be-
hind Google.”
8. Exercise Let A be a matrix with linearly independent columns. Show
that AT A has positive eigenvalues.
SVD and Netflix’s $1 million prize! The previous problem is a step toward
understanding the ‘singular value decomposition’ of matrices. One can show
that any (rectangular) matrix sends an orthonormal basis of its row space to
an orthonormal basis of its column space. These bases consist of eigenvectors
of AT A and AAT , respectively.
If you are interested in applications such as ‘image processing,’ ‘Google’s page
ranking’ and ‘why singular value decompositions are being used in attempts to
improve Netflix’s movie recommendation system’ have a look at this excellent
pictorial explanation of SVD We Recommend a Singular Value Decomposition.

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MATH 220–Sections 1 and 16–Spring 2015

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