Alphabeta Math
TheoremStatement: Literature-sourcedProof: AI-adaptedprecheck passaudited 2026-08-31
How statement and proof provenance work

The first chip identifies the source of the statement or construction; the second identifies the source of its local proof or verification.

  • Literature-sourced: the exact statement appears in a cited source; only wording and notation differ.
  • AI-adapted: a semantically identical restatement of literature-sourced material, modulo indexing, notation, and boundary cases adopted by the library.
  • AI-generated: a genuinely novel statement formulated by AI, with no source for the claim itself.

These labels describe origin, not correctness: citations and verification chips remain separate evidence.

If a diagonalisable matrix has a simple eigenvalue of strictly largest modulus and the start vector has a nonzero component in that eigendirection, power iteration converges projectively at the eigenvalue-ratio rate

Statement

Let F∈{R,C}, let n≥2, and let A∈Mn(F) be diagonalisable with eigenvalues λ1,…,λn and eigenvectors v1,…,vn, where ∣λ1∣>∣λ2∣≥⋯≥∣λn∣ and λ1 is simple. Let x0=∑i=1ncivi with c1≠0, and let (xk) be the power iteration of Power iteration with normalisation and Rayleigh-quotient eigenvalue estimates. Then there exist scalars αk∈F with ∣αk∣=1 such that

∥αkxk−v1∥v1∥2∥2=O ⁣(∣λ2λ1∣k).

In particular, xk converges to the eigendirection of λ1 projectively.

Facts & Assumptions

Given: A diagonalisable matrix A with the displayed eigenvalue ordering, and a start vector x0=∑icivi with c1≠0.

[L2]

Power iteration is the normalised recurrence xk+1=Axk/∥Axk∥2 (Power iteration with normalisation and Rayleigh-quotient eigenvalue estimates).

Proof

technique · direct
1.1L1givenalgebra

By [L1], the chosen eigenvectors form a basis, so for every k≥0, Akx0=λ1k(c1v1+∑i=2nci(λiλ1)kvi).

2.1L2step 1.1algebra

The strict modulus inequality and n≥2 imply λ1≠0. In the eigenbasis, the v1-coefficient of Akx0 is c1λ1k≠0, so Akx0≠0 for every k≥0. Therefore the iteration of [L2] is defined at every step and has the same direction as Akx0. Moreover, because ∣λi/λ1∣<1 for i≥2, the bracket in step 1.1 tends to c1v1.

3.1step 1.1step 2.1algebra

Let αk cancel the phase of λ1kc1. Then step 1.1 gives αkxk=v1+∑i=2n(ci/c1)(λi/λ1)kvi∥v1+∑i=2n(ci/c1)(λi/λ1)kvi∥2. The numerator differs from v1 by O(∣λ2/λ1∣k), so the same is true after normalisation.

4.1step 3.1∎

Therefore the normalised iterates converge projectively to the eigendirection of v1, and the convergence rate is O(∣λ2/λ1∣k).

Depends on

Used by

Dependency tree · two levels

5 results within two dependency steps of this one, each drawn at its shortest distance from it. An arrow runs from a result to what uses it, so the chart reads left to right and ends at this result, which carries a heavier outline. Every node is a link to that result. Click elsewhere on the chart to enlarge it.

Sources