Paper 4, Section I, E

Linear Algebra
Part IB, 2013

What is a quadratic form on a finite dimensional real vector space VV ? What does it mean for two quadratic forms to be isomorphic (i.e. congruent)? State Sylvester's law of inertia and explain the definition of the quantities which appear in it. Find the signature of the quadratic form on R3\mathbb{R}^{3} given by q(v)=vTAvq(\mathbf{v})=\mathbf{v}^{T} A \mathbf{v}, where

A=(216113631)A=\left(\begin{array}{ccc} -2 & 1 & 6 \\ 1 & -1 & -3 \\ 6 & -3 & 1 \end{array}\right)