# Thread: finding polar decomposition!

1. ## finding polar decomposition!

I need help finding the polar
decomposition
of

$

\left( \begin{array}{cc} 11 & -5 \\ -2 & 10\end{array} \right)
$

2. If $A = \begin{bmatrix}11 & -5 \\ -2 & 10\end{bmatrix}$ then the polar decomposition of A is a factorisation $A = UR$, where U is unitary and R is positive. To find R use the fact that $R^2 = A^*A = \begin{bmatrix}125 & -75 \\ -75 & 125\end{bmatrix}$. So R is the positive square root of that matrix, which you can compute by diagonalising it. You should find that the eigenvalues of $R^2$ are 50 and 200, with corresponding normalised eigenvectors $\frac1{\sqrt2}\begin{bmatrix}1 \\ 1\end{bmatrix}$ and $\frac1{\sqrt2}\begin{bmatrix}1 \\ -1\end{bmatrix}$. So $R^2 = PDP^{-1}$, where $P = P^{-1} = \frac1{\sqrt2}\begin{bmatrix}1 &1 \\ 1 & -1\end{bmatrix}$ and $D = \begin{bmatrix}50 & 0 \\ 0 & 200\end{bmatrix}$. The square root is given by $R = PEP^{-1}$, where $E = D^{1/2} = \begin{bmatrix}5\sqrt2 & 0 \\ 0 & 10\sqrt2\end{bmatrix}$.

Having found R, you can then get U as $U = AR^{-1}$.