Which operators have an upper-triangular matrix, and why does the minimal polynomial alone decide it?
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Upper-triangularizability depending on
Factor over and over , and record that the same operator has no upper-triangular matrix on but has one on .
The criterion: minimal polynomial
Prove necessity from the equation satisfied by an upper-triangular operator, then sufficiency by induction on with and an extended basis.
Every complex operator is upper-triangularizable
Deduce the result from the fundamental theorem of algebra and the criterion, and note that commuting operators can share one upper-triangular basis.
Basis eigenvectors and row echelon form
Record that only must be an eigenvector, that is one iff column is zero off the diagonal, and that row echelon form gives no eigenvalues.