Let A be an arbitrary
(complex) n × n matrix and let f(λ) be a polynomial (with complex coefficients) of
degree n + 1 with leading coefficient (−1)n+1. In this paper we solve the problem:
under what conditions does there exist an (n + 1) × (n + 1) (complex) matrix B of
which A is the submatrix standing in the top left-hand corner and such that f(λ) is
its characteristic polynomial?