Diagonalization and Jordan Normal Form – motivation through Maple

Glaister, P. (2009) Diagonalization and Jordan Normal Form – motivation through Maple. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 40 (5). pp. 705-712. ISSN 0020-739X doi: 10.1080/00207390902825351

Abstract/Summary

Following an introduction to the diagonalization of matrices, one of the more difficult topics for students to grasp in linear algebra is the concept of Jordan normal form. In this note, we show how the important notions of diagonalization and Jordan normal form can be introduced and developed through the use of the computer algebra package Maple®.