Linear Algebra – Norm of a Symmetric Matrix

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Say I have a symmetric matrix. I have the concept of 2-norm as defined on wikipedia. Now I want to prove (disprove?) that the norm of a symmetric matrix is maximum absolute value of its eigenvalue. I would really appreciate if this can be done only using simple concepts of linear algebra.

I am quite new to mathematics.

Best Answer

Given a symmetric matrix, you have a complete set of eigenvalues and orthogonal eigenvectors. Any vector can be represented as a linear combination of the eigenvectors. Multiply your matrix by an arbitrary unit vector decomposed into the eigenvectors. Then note that the maximum length of the resultant vector is achieved when the input vector is along the eigenvector associated with the largest eigenvalue in absolute value.