Distinct eigenvalues guarantee diagonalizability; repeated eigenvalues may fail when geometric multiplicity is less than algebraic multiplicity.
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The distinct-eigenvalues criterion
Write the statement that distinct eigenvalues give independent eigenvectors and a diagonalizable matrix, and note that a random matrix almost always has distinct eigenvalues.
Repeated eigenvalues: the good and bad cases
Record that every vector is an eigenvector of with repeated, then compute the null space of for with rows and .
Algebraic versus geometric multiplicity
Define algebraic multiplicity as the root count in the characteristic polynomial and geometric multiplicity as , and state the failure test comparing the two numbers.