Proposition. Let $latex mathbf{X} in mathbb{R}^{n times n}$ be a matrix that is symmetric ($latex mathbf{X}^top = mathbf{X}$) and idempotent ($latex mathbf{X}^2 = mathbf{X}$). Then the rank of $latex mathbf{X}$ is equal to the trace of $latex mathbf{X}$. In fact, they are both equal to the sum of the eigenvalues of $latex mathbf{X}$.
The proof is relatively straightforward. Since $latex mathbf{X}$ is real and symmetric, it is orthogonally diagonalizable, i.e. there is an orthogonal matrix $latex mathbf{U}$ ($latex mathbf{U}^top mathbf{U} = mathbf{I}$) and a diagonal matrix $latex mathbf{D}$ such that $latex mathbf{D} = mathbf{UXU}^top$ (see here for proof).
Since $latex mathbf{X}$ is idempotent,
$latex begin{aligned} mathbf{X}^2 &= mathbf{X},
mathbf{U}^top mathbf{D}^2 mathbf{U} &= mathbf{U}^T mathbf{DU},
mathbf{D}^2 &= mathbf{D}. end{aligned}$
Since $latex mathbf{D}$ is a diagonal matrix, it implies that the entries on the diagonal must be zeros or ones. Thus, the number of ones on the diagonal (which is $latex text{rank}(mathbf{D})…
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