We prove that there exist infinitely may values of the real parameter α for which the exact value of the spectral subradius of the set of two matrices (one matrix with ones above and on the diagonal and zeros elsewhere, and one matrix with α below and on the diagonal and zeros elsewhere, both matrices having two rows and two columns) cannot be calculated in a finite number of steps. Our proof uses only elementary facts from the theory of formal languages and from linear algebra, but it is not constructive...

In matricial analysis, the theorem of Eckart and Young provides a best approximation of an arbitrary matrix by a matrix of rank at most r. In variational analysis or optimization, the Moreau envelopes are appropriate ways of approximating or regularizing the rank function. We prove here that we can go forwards and backwards between the two procedures, thereby showing that they carry essentially the same information.