Eigenvalues & Eigenvectors

The Ultimate Resource Library — Books, Lectures, Videos, Papers & More

50+ Resources 15+ Free Textbooks 10+ Video Series 7 Languages 20+ Universities
1. Textbooks (Paid) 2. Free / Open-Access Textbooks 3. MIT Lecture Notes & Courses 4. Stanford Lecture Notes 5. Other University Lecture Notes 6. Video Courses & Playlists 7. MOOCs & Online Platforms 8. Data Science Focused 9. Research Papers & Surveys 10. Multi-Language Resources 11. Interactive Tools 12. Cheat Sheets & Quick Refs
Level Guide: Beginner First-time learners, no prerequisites needed   Intermediate Requires basic matrix knowledge   Advanced Graduate-level or research-oriented

📖 1. Textbooks (Classic & Modern)

Introduction to Linear Algebra — Gilbert Strang

MIT Press | 6th Edition, 2023 | ~600 pages
Book Beginner

The gold standard textbook for linear algebra. Strang's intuitive, geometric approach makes eigenvalues come alive. Chapters 6 covers eigenvalues, diagonalization, and differential equations. Widely used at MIT and hundreds of universities worldwide. Companion video lectures are free on MIT OCW.

Linear Algebra and Its Applications — David C. Lay, Steven R. Lay, Judi J. McDonald

Pearson | 6th Edition, 2021 | ~576 pages
Book Beginner

One of the most widely adopted linear algebra textbooks in the world. Excellent for building computational intuition with eigenvalues and eigenvectors. Chapter 5 is dedicated entirely to eigenvalues with many real-world applications. Extremely clear writing.

Linear Algebra Done Right — Sheldon Axler

Springer | 4th Edition, 2024 | FREE Open Access
Book Free Intermediate

A beautifully written, proof-focused textbook that takes a "determinant-free" approach to eigenvalues — introducing them through the concept of invariant subspaces. The 4th edition is legally free as Open Access. Chapters 5 (Eigenvalues & Eigenvectors) and 7 (Operators on Inner Product Spaces / Spectral Theorem) are masterful.

🔗 Download Free PDF (4th Edition)

🔗 Chapter on Eigenvalues (standalone PDF)

Matrix Analysis and Applied Linear Algebra — Carl D. Meyer

SIAM | 2nd Edition, 2023 | ~890 pages
Book Intermediate

Comprehensive treatment connecting theory to applications. Deep coverage of eigenvalue perturbation theory, Gerschgorin circles, and the power method. Excellent for engineers and applied mathematicians.

Matrix Computations — Gene H. Golub & Charles F. Van Loan

Johns Hopkins University Press | 4th Edition | ~756 pages
Book Advanced

The "bible" of numerical linear algebra. Covers QR algorithm, Lanczos method, Jacobi iteration, and every numerical method for computing eigenvalues. Essential for anyone implementing eigenvalue algorithms in production code.

Practical Linear Algebra for Data Science — Mike X Cohen

O'Reilly | 2022 | ~330 pages
Book Beginner

Focused specifically on linear algebra for data scientists. Covers eigendecomposition, PCA, SVD, and dimensionality reduction with Python code. Chapters 13–15 are devoted to eigenvalues, SVD, and applications. Uses NumPy throughout.

🔗 O'Reilly Page

Linear Algebra: Theory and Applications — Raju K. George & Abhijith Ajayakumar

2024 | 500+ solved problems
Book Intermediate

Two-part structure: Part I covers theory (vector spaces, eigenvalues), Part II has 500+ solved problems with engineering and real-world applications. Great for practice and exam preparation.

Linear Algebra — Friedberg, Insel & Spence

Pearson | 5th Edition | ~600 pages
Book Intermediate

A rigorous, proof-based textbook used in many advanced undergraduate courses. Chapter 5 on eigenvalues includes diagonalization, invariant subspaces, and the Cayley-Hamilton Theorem. Excellent for math majors.

Linear Algebra — Serge Lang

Springer | 3rd Edition
Book Advanced

A concise, elegant treatment by a master mathematician. Covers eigenvalues, spectral theorem, Jordan canonical form. Best for students with some mathematical maturity.

Introduction to Applied Linear Algebra — Stephen Boyd & Lieven Vandenberghe

Cambridge University Press | 2018 | FREE PDF
Book Free Beginner

By Stanford professors. Focuses on applications: least squares, data fitting, and optimization. While it doesn't focus heavily on eigenvalues directly, it provides essential context for how linear algebra is applied in data science and control. The PDF is legally free.

🔗 Download Free PDF

🎁 2. Free / Open-Access Textbooks

Linear Algebra Done Right (4th Ed.) — Sheldon Axler

Free PDF Intermediate

Full textbook legally free under Open Access from Springer. One of the most elegant linear algebra books ever written.

🔗 Download Full Book PDF

Linear Algebra — Jim Hefferon (4th Edition)

Free PDF Beginner

A complete, free linear algebra textbook covering eigenvalues, eigenvectors, diagonalization, and Jordan form. Comes with a full solutions manual, also free. Covers 400+ exercises.

🔗 Download from Author's Site

🔗 Direct PDF (Oxford mirror)

Linear Algebra with Applications (Open Edition) — W. Keith Nicholson

Free PDF Beginner

Originally published by McGraw-Hill, now available free as an open edition. Covers eigenvalues, diagonalization, and applications including Markov chains and dynamical systems. 650+ pages.

🔗 Download Free PDF

Linear Algebra in Twenty Five Lectures — Tom Denton & Andrew Waldron

Free PDF Beginner

UC Davis lecture notes structured as a full textbook. Covers eigenvalues, eigenvectors, diagonalization, Jordan form. Clear, concise, and organized by lecture.

🔗 Download Free PDF

A First Course in Linear Algebra — Robert A. Beezer

Free PDF Beginner

Free, open-source textbook. Chapter EE covers eigenvalues and eigenvectors. Available online and as PDF. Part of the Open Textbook Library.

🔗 Read Online (HTML)

Interactive Linear Algebra — Dan Margalit & Joseph Rabinoff (Georgia Tech)

Free Beginner

Beautiful, interactive online textbook with embedded visualizations. Chapter 5 covers eigenvalues with interactive demos showing how eigenvectors behave under transformation.

🔗 Read Online (Interactive)

Mathematics for Machine Learning — Marc Peter Deisenroth, A. Aldo Faber, Cheng Soon Ong

Free PDF Intermediate

Chapter 4 covers Matrix Decompositions (eigendecomposition, SVD). Chapter 10 covers PCA as a direct application. Bridges linear algebra and machine learning perfectly.

🔗 Download Free PDF

Linear Algebra — Open Textbook Library (U. of Minnesota)

Free PDF Beginner

Curated open textbook with chapter 5 on eigenvalues. Exercises link directly to solutions. Clean formatting.

🔗 Access via Open Textbook Library

🏫 3. MIT Lecture Notes & Courses

MIT 18.06 — Linear Algebra (Gilbert Strang)

MIT OpenCourseWare | 34 Video Lectures + Notes + Problems
Free Video PDF Beginner

THE most famous linear algebra course in the world. Lecture 21 covers eigenvalues & eigenvectors, Lecture 22 covers diagonalization, Lectures 23–24 cover differential equations and Markov matrices. Strang's teaching is legendary.

🔗 Full Video Lectures

🔗 Lecture 21: Eigenvalues & Eigenvectors

MIT 18.06SC — Linear Algebra (Scholar Version)

MIT OpenCourseWare | Enhanced with recitations & problem sets
Free PDF Beginner

The "Scholar" version includes additional recitation videos, problem sets with solutions, and study guides. Section 2.8 is the eigenvalue/eigenvector summary.

🔗 Eigenvalues Summary PDF

MIT 18.065 — Matrix Methods in Data Analysis, Signal Processing, and ML (Strang)

MIT OpenCourseWare | 2018 | Advanced applications
Free Video Intermediate

Strang's more advanced course focusing on SVD, PCA, deep learning connections, and eigenvalue applications in data science. A perfect follow-up to 18.06.

🔗 Course Page

Gilbert Strang's Chapter 6 Notes — Eigenvalues & Eigenvectors

Free PDF

The complete Chapter 6.1 from Strang's "Introduction to Linear Algebra" textbook, made available as a free sample.

🔗 Chapter 6.1 PDF

🏫 4. Stanford Lecture Notes

Stanford CS229 — Linear Algebra Review and Reference

Zico Kolter, updated by Chuong Do
Free PDF Intermediate

Concise review covering eigenvalues as optimization (Rayleigh quotient), matrix calculus, and applications in machine learning. Used as background material for Stanford's ML course.

🔗 Download PDF

Stanford CS359G — Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors (Luca Trevisan)

Free PDF Advanced

Lecture on eigenvalues of Hermitian matrices, spectral theorem proof, and applications in spectral graph theory. From Stanford's algorithms course.

🔗 Download PDF

Stanford CS205A — Eigenvectors (Chapter 5)

Free PDF Intermediate

Notes from Stanford's Mathematical Methods for Robotics, Vision, and Graphics. Covers eigenvalues with applications in computer graphics and physics simulation.

🔗 Download PDF

Stanford EE263 — Eigenvectors and Diagonalization (Stephen Boyd)

Free PDF Intermediate

Lecture notes from the famous Stephen Boyd (of convex optimization fame). Covers eigenvectors, diagonalization, and applications in linear dynamical systems.

🔗 Download PDF

Stanford CME335 — Advanced Topics in Numerical Linear Algebra

Free PDF Advanced

Graduate-level numerical methods for eigenvalue computation. Covers QR algorithm, Krylov subspace methods, and large-scale eigenvalue problems.

🔗 Lecture 1 PDF

📚 5. Other University Lecture Notes

Purdue University — Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors (Yufei Tao)

Free PDF Beginner

Clear, self-contained lecture notes covering the definition, computation, and basic properties. Great for quick review.

🔗 Download PDF

University of Houston — Eigenvalues & Eigenvectors (Math 2331)

Free PDF Beginner

Lecture slides covering Section 5.1 with worked examples and geometric interpretations. Useful for exam review.

🔗 Download PDF

Boston University — Linear Algebra, Differential Equations & More (John Baillieul)

Free PDF Intermediate

Comprehensive notes bridging linear algebra with differential equations and control theory. Shows how eigenvalues connect to system stability.

🔗 Download PDF

Université de Montréal — Linear Algebra Notes (David Lerner)

Free PDF Beginner

Department of Mathematics lecture notes covering the fundamentals of linear algebra including eigenvalue decomposition.

🔗 Download PDF

Mississippi State University — Linear Algebra Lecture Notes

Free PDF Beginner

Full-semester lecture notes with companion YouTube videos. Covers eigenvalues, diagonalization, and applications.

🔗 Download PDF

Open University of Lethbridge — Linear Algebra (Open Textbook)

Free Beginner

Canadian open math textbook covering linear algebra. Available as interactive HTML.

🔗 Read Online

🎥 6. Video Courses & Playlists

3Blue1Brown — Essence of Linear Algebra

YouTube | 16 episodes | ~3.5 hours total
Free Video Beginner

The most beautiful visual explanation of linear algebra ever created. Episode 14 covers eigenvectors and eigenvalues with stunning animations. Episode 15 shows a quick trick for computing eigenvalues of 2x2 matrices. Absolutely essential viewing.

🔗 Eigenvectors & Eigenvalues Lesson

🔗 Quick Trick for Computing Eigenvalues

🔗 Full Series

MIT OCW — Gilbert Strang's Lectures (18.06)

YouTube / MIT OCW | 34 lectures
Free Video Beginner

The complete MIT linear algebra course. Strang is a legendary teacher. Lectures 21–25 cover eigenvalues, diagonalization, differential equations, symmetric matrices, and positive definite matrices.

🔗 All Video Lectures

Khan Academy — Eigenvalues & Eigenvectors

khanacademy.org | Multiple videos + exercises
Free Video Beginner

Step-by-step video explanations with practice exercises. Perfect for absolute beginners who need patient, detailed explanations of every calculation step.

🔗 Introduction to Eigenvalues & Eigenvectors

Dr. Trefor Bazett — Linear Algebra Full Course

YouTube | ~10 hours
Free Video Beginner

Called "the best online course on Linear Algebra" by many students. Covers eigenvalues, diagonalization, and spectral theory with clear visual explanations and great energy. Available freely on YouTube.

🔗 YouTube Playlist

Professor Leonard — Linear Algebra Lectures

YouTube | Full semester course
Free Video Beginner

Extremely detailed, patient, and thorough explanations. Great for students who need every single step spelled out. Popular among community college and university students.

🔗 YouTube Playlist

Sheldon Axler — Linear Algebra Done Right Video Series

YouTube | Companion to the textbook
Free Video Intermediate

Axler himself teaches through his textbook, covering generalized eigenvectors, Jordan form, and the spectral theorem. Great companion to the free PDF textbook.

🔗 YouTube Playlist

Understand The Math — Linear Algebra with Guided Notes

Free Video PDF Beginner

Videos paired with downloadable guided notes PDFs. Covers eigenvalues, eigenvectors, and their applications.

🔗 Course Page

🎓 7. MOOCs & Online Platforms

Coursera — Mathematics for Machine Learning: Linear Algebra (Imperial College London)

Course Video Beginner

Focused specifically on the linear algebra needed for ML. Week 5 covers eigenvalues, eigenvectors, and their role in PCA. Taught by Imperial College faculty. Can audit for free.

🔗 Coursera Page

Coursera — Matrix Algebra for Engineers (Jeffrey Chasnov, HKUST)

Course Video Beginner

Concise course covering matrix operations, eigenvalues, and applications to engineering problems. Can audit for free.

🔗 Coursera Page

edX — Linear Algebra: Foundations to Frontiers (UT Austin)

Course Free Intermediate

Rigorous course from UT Austin covering eigenvalues and their computation. Includes programming exercises in MATLAB/Octave.

🔗 edX Page

Class Central — 1600+ Linear Algebra Courses

Directory Free

Aggregator of 1600+ online linear algebra courses from universities worldwide. Filter by level, language, and platform.

🔗 Browse Courses

📊 8. Data Science–Focused Resources

Mathematics for Machine Learning (Textbook) — Deisenroth, Faber, Ong

Free PDF Intermediate

Ch. 4: Matrix Decompositions (Eigendecomposition, SVD). Ch. 10: Dimensionality Reduction with PCA. The bridge between linear algebra and ML.

🔗 Download Free PDF

The Matrix Cookbook — Kaare Brandt Petersen & Michael Syskind Pedersen

Free PDF Advanced

72-page reference of matrix identities, derivatives, and decompositions. Section 4 covers eigenvalue identities. Essential desk reference for ML researchers.

🔗 Download PDF

Stanford CS229 — Linear Algebra Review

Free PDF Intermediate

Compact review of eigenvalues, matrix calculus, and optimization for Andrew Ng's Machine Learning course.

🔗 Download PDF

StatQuest — PCA / Eigenvalue Videos (Josh Starmer)

Free Video Beginner

Extremely popular "BAM!" style videos explaining PCA, eigenvalues in context of data science. Makes statistics fun and accessible.

🔗 PCA Step-by-Step (YouTube)

📜 9. Research Papers & Surveys

Eigenvectors from Eigenvalues: A Survey (Denton, Parke, Tao, Zhang)

arXiv:1908.03795 | 2019
Paper Free Advanced

A remarkable identity relating eigenvector components to eigenvalues of matrix minors, co-authored by Fields Medalist Terence Tao. Surveys appearances in random matrix theory, neutrino physics, graph theory, and numerical linear algebra.

🔗 arXiv Paper

🔗 Terence Tao's Blog Post

Eigenvectors of Random Matrices: A Survey (Rudelson & Vershynin)

arXiv:1601.03678 | 2016
Paper Free Advanced

Properties of eigenvectors of large random matrices and their role in combinatorics, theoretical computer science, and statistics.

🔗 arXiv Paper

Teaching Eigenvalues in the Context of AI (2024)

ACM Conference on Intelligent Education and Computer Technology
Paper Intermediate

Modern research on how to teach eigenvalues and eigenvectors using AI applications as motivation. Useful for educators.

🔗 ACM Paper

Eigenvalue Problems Research Papers — Academia.edu

Papers Free Advanced

Collection of research papers on eigenvalue problems across disciplines — from pure mathematics to physics and engineering.

🔗 Browse Papers

🌐 10. Multi-Language Resources

🇯🇵 Japanese (日本語)

線形代数学入門 (Introduction to Linear Algebra) — Full Textbook

Free PDF Japanese

Complete university-level linear algebra textbook in Japanese. Covers 固有値 (eigenvalues) and 固有ベクトル (eigenvectors) thoroughly.

🔗 Download PDF

線形代数学講義ノート (Linear Algebra Lecture Notes) — Kanagawa University

Free PDF Japanese

University lecture notes designed for first-year students. Covers linear systems, matrices, determinants, eigenvalues, and diagonalization.

🔗 Download PDF

固有値と固有ベクトルの求め方 (How to Find Eigenvalues & Eigenvectors)

Free Japanese

Step-by-step tutorial site explaining eigenvalue computation with examples — "Linear Algebra Explained So Even the Universe Can Understand."

🔗 Read Online

うさぎでもわかる線形代数 (Even a Rabbit Can Understand Linear Algebra)

Free Japanese

Charming, beginner-friendly tutorial with cute illustrations. Covers eigenvalues and eigenvectors for first-year university students.

🔗 Read Online

🇫🇷 French (Français)

Algèbre Linéaire — Université de Montréal Notes

Free PDF French

Lecture notes from Université de Montréal. Covers "valeurs propres" (eigenvalues) and "vecteurs propres" (eigenvectors). In French terminology, "propre" means "own" — same root as the German "eigen."

🔗 Download PDF

🇨🇳 Chinese (中文)

线性代数 (Linear Algebra) — Chinese Open Resources

Free Chinese

In Chinese, eigenvalues are called 特征值 (tèzhēng zhí) and eigenvectors are 特征向量 (tèzhēng xiàngliàng). MIT OCW materials have been translated into Chinese. Search for "线性代数 特征值 特征向量" on Bilibili (Chinese YouTube) for hundreds of free video lectures.

🔗 MIT 18.06 on Bilibili (Chinese subtitles)

🇰🇷 Korean (한국어)

선형대수학 (Linear Algebra) — Korean Resources

Free Korean

In Korean, eigenvalues are 고유값 (goyugap) and eigenvectors are 고유벡터 (goyubegteo). Many Korean universities offer free lecture notes. Search KOCW (Korea Open CourseWare) for comprehensive Korean-language courses.

🔗 KOCW (Korean OCW) — Search for 선형대수

🇪🇸 Spanish (Español)

Álgebra Lineal — Spanish Language Resources

Free Spanish

In Spanish, eigenvalues are "valores propios" (or "autovalores") and eigenvectors are "vectores propios" (or "autovectores"). Juan Carlos Ponce Campuzano and other Spanish-language educators provide free materials online.

🔗 Khan Academy (available in Spanish)

🇦🇪 Arabic (العربية)

الجبر الخطي (Linear Algebra) — Arabic Resources

Free Arabic

In Arabic, eigenvalues are القيم الذاتية (al-qiyam al-dhatiyya) and eigenvectors are المتجهات الذاتية (al-mutajihat al-dhatiyya). Search YouTube for "القيم الذاتية والمتجهات الذاتية" for Arabic-language tutorials.

🇩🇪 German (Deutsch)

Lineare Algebra — German Resources

Free German

In German (where the term originated!), eigenvalues are "Eigenwerte" and eigenvectors are "Eigenvektoren." Jörn Loviscach provides an excellent free video series on YouTube covering "Lineare Algebra" in German.

🇭🇮 Hindi (हिंदी)

NPTEL — Linear Algebra (Hindi/English)

Free Video Hindi

India's National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning offers complete linear algebra courses in Hindi and English. Covers eigenvalues with applications to engineering. Extremely popular in India.

🔗 NPTEL Portal

🕹️ 11. Interactive Tools & Visualizations

Eigenvalue Visualizer — GeoGebra

Free

Interactive tool: input any 2x2 matrix and watch the eigenvectors and eigenvalues update in real time. See how changing matrix entries affects the eigenvalues geometrically.

🔗 Try GeoGebra Visualization

Matrix Calculator — Symbolab

Free

Enter any matrix and get eigenvalues, eigenvectors, and characteristic polynomial computed step-by-step with full working shown.

🔗 Symbolab Eigenvalue Calculator

WolframAlpha — Eigenvalue Computation

Free

Type "eigenvalues {{4,1},{2,3}}" and get instant results with step-by-step solutions. Works for any size matrix.

🔗 Try WolframAlpha

Interactive Linear Algebra (Georgia Tech)

Free

Full textbook with embedded interactive demos. Drag vectors and see how they transform, watch eigenvalues change in real time.

🔗 Interactive Textbook

Setosa.io — Eigenvectors and Eigenvalues Explained Visually

Free

Beautiful, interactive visual essay that lets you manipulate matrices and see eigenvectors in real time. One of the best visual explanations on the web.

🔗 Interactive Visualization

📋 12. Cheat Sheets & Quick References

The Matrix Cookbook

Free PDF Advanced

72-page reference of every matrix identity you'll ever need. Section 4 covers eigenvalue relations, spectral decomposition, and matrix function identities. Essential desk reference.

🔗 Download PDF

Stanford CS229 — Linear Algebra Cheat Sheet

Free PDF Intermediate

Compact summary of eigenvalues, matrix decompositions, and their ML applications. Fits the essentials into a few pages.

🔗 Download PDF

Wikipedia — Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors

Free

Comprehensive reference article with formal proofs, history, applications, and links to related topics. Available in 50+ languages. A good starting point for deep dives.

🔗 English Wikipedia | 🔗 Japanese (日本語) | 🔗 Chinese (中文) | 🔗 French | 🔗 German



Compiled March 2026 • All links verified at time of creation • Most resources are free or open access

Tip: Start with 3Blue1Brown for visual intuition, Khan Academy for computation practice,
Gilbert Strang (MIT 18.06) for deep understanding, and Mathematics for ML for data science applications.

© 2026 Sim Vattanac. All rights reserved.