English

Matrices with integer eigenvalues for all permutations of coefficients (thanks to Pythagoras!)

History and Overview 2026-02-24 v2 Number Theory

Abstract

It is shown that Pythagorean triples can be used to generate matrices that have integer eigenvalues for all permutations of their coefficients, via simple formulas. For example, each and every permutation of the 2×22\times2 matrix coefficients {12,6,7,1}\{12,6,7,1\}, generated by the Pythagorean triple (5,12,13)(5,12,13), yields a matrix with integer eigenvalues. Further, each and every Pythagorean triple in fact generates a countable infinity of nontrivially related matrices having this property.

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Cite

@article{arxiv.2601.01083,
  title  = {Matrices with integer eigenvalues for all permutations of coefficients (thanks to Pythagoras!)},
  author = {Michael J. W. Hall},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2601.01083},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

6 pages; v2: New ref [3] added (not in published version)

R2 v1 2026-07-01T08:49:10.289Z