3.

4 REPRESENTATION OF LINEAR TRANSFORMATIONS

BY MATRICES
(S. KABBAJ - MATH 550 LINEAR ALGEBRA)

Throughout, V and W are two vector spaces over a field F.

? Theorem 11 (Matrix of a Linear Transformation)

Assume dim(V) = n and dim(W) = m and let B be an ordered basis for V and B0 an ordered
basis for W. Then:

For each T ∈ L(V, W), there is a unique m × n matrix A such that

1

h i h i
Tα 0 = A α
B B

 
A is called the matrix of T relative to B, B0

Proof.  n o


 B := α1 , . . . , αn be an ordered basis for V

Let 

 n o
 B0 := β1 , . . . , βm be an ordered basis for W


 2
• Existence:

. For each j ∈ 1, . . . , n, let

h i m
X
Tα j = aij βi
B0
i=1
 
 a1 j 
a 
 
=  2 j 
 | 
a 

MATH 550 - LINEAR ALGEBRA

mj

. Let
Tα1 ...... Tα j ...... Tαn
z }| {
 a11 −− a1j −− a1n  β1
 
 a21 −− a2j −− a2n  β2
 
A :=   
 | | | | |  |
m1 −− am j −− amn βm
a 

|
 
 
= 
−− a −−
ij 
|
 

n
X
. Let α = x j α j ∈ V. Then:
j=1
h i n
X h i
Tα = x j Tα j
B0 B0
j=1

n
 m 
X X 
= x j 
 aij βi 
j=1 i=1

 
m X
X n 
=  βi

a x

ij j 


i=1 j=1

MATH 550 - LINEAR ALGEBRA

X n 
 

 a 1 j x j 

 j=1 
 
=  | 

X n 
 

 a m j x j


j=1

|
  
  x1 
= 
−− a −−  | 
ij   
| xn
  

h i
= Aα
B

3
 4
• Uniqueness:
 
 | 
−− a0 −−
. Assume there is an m × n matrix A = 
0
ij  such that

|


h i h i
0
Tα 0
= A α ∀α∈V
B B

. For each j ∈ 1, . . . , n, we have

MATH 550 - LINEAR ALGEBRA

h i h i
Tα j = A0 αj
B0 B

|| ||
 
  0
 a1j 
 | 
 
 a2j 
 
= A 1 (j)
0  
 
 |   | 
 
mj a  
0
 

 0 
 a1j 
 0 
 a 
=  2j 
 | 
 
 0 
am j

. So, A = A0 . 
? Converse of Theorem 11
|
 
 
For any m × n matrix A = 
−− a −−
ij , there is a unique linear transformation T : V −→ W
|
 
such that A is the matrix of T relative to B, B0 .
m
X
Proof. For each j = 1, . . . , n, define Tα j = aij βi . 
i=1

MATH 550 - LINEAR ALGEBRA

? Theorem 12
Assume dim(V) = n and dim(W) = m. Then:

L(V, W)  Fm×n

Proof. . Let B be an ordered basis for V and B0 an ordered basis for W and consider the
mapping

ϕ : L(V, W) −→ Fm×n
T 7→ AT the matrix of T relative to B, B0

. ϕ is well-defined and one-to-one: Done by Theorem 11, which ensures Existence of the
matrix of T and its Uniqueness.

5
. ϕ is linear:

6
For any T, T0 ∈ L(V, W) and c ∈ F, and any α ∈ V, we have

h i h i
ϕ(cT + T0 ) α = AcT+T0 α
B B
h i
= (cT + T0 )α
B0
h i h i
= cTα + T0 α
B0 B0

MATH 550 - LINEAR ALGEBRA

h i h i
= c Tα + T0 α
B0 B0
h i h i
= cAT α + AT0 α
B B
 h i
= cAT + A α T0 B
 h i
= cϕ(T) + ϕ(T0 ) α as desired
B

. It follows that ϕ is non-singular, and hence an isomorphism by Theorem 9, since dim(L(V, W)) =
dim(Fm×n ) = nm. 

? The Special Case of Linear Operators (via Theorems 11 & 12)

Assume dim(V) = n and let B be an ordered basis for V. Then:
 For each linear operator T : V −→ V, there is a unique n × n matrix A such that

h i h i
Tα =A α and L(V)  Fn×n
B B

h i
. A is called the matrix of T relative to B; denoted by AT or T and we write:
B

h i h i h i h i h i
Tα = AT α or Tα = T α
B B B B B

MATH 550 - LINEAR ALGEBRA

. Note
Tα1 ...... Tα j ...... Tαn
z }| {
a11 −− a1 j −− a1n  α1
 
a21 −− a2 j −− a2n  α2
h i  
A = AT = T =  
B  | | | | |  |
n1 −− an j −− ann αn
a 

7
? Example 15

8
n o
. Let P3 = All polynomial functions : R −→ R of degree ≤ 3 .

f1 : x 7→ 1










 f2 : x 7→ x
. P3 is a vector space over R of dimension 4 with basis B = 


f3 : x 7→ x2









 f : x 7→ x3

4

MATH 550 - LINEAR ALGEBRA

D f1 : x 7→ 0 = zero f unction







D f2 : x 7→ 1 = f1





. Let D : P3 −→ P3 be the differential operator so that 

D f3 : x 7→ 2x = 2 f2









 D f : x 7→ 3x2 = 3 f

4 3

. The matrix of D relative to B is given by

D f1 D f2 D f3 D f4
z }| {
0 1 0 0 f1
 
h i 0 0 2 0 f2
AD = D = 

0 0 0 3 f3

B
0 0 0 0 f4
 
? Matrix of a Composed Linear Transformation
. Consider the composed linear transformation
T U
U ◦ T : V −→ V 0 −→ V”
with V, V 0 , V” having, respectively, dimensions n, n0 , n” and bases B, B0 , B”.

. The n” × n matrix of U ◦ T relative to B, B” is given by

AU◦T = AU AT (n” × n0 . n0 × n)

MATH 550 - LINEAR ALGEBRA

Proof. . For each α ∈ V, we have

h i h i
AU◦T α = (U ◦ T)α
B B”
h i
= (U(Tα)
B”
h i
= AU Tα
B0
h i
= AU AT α
B

. So, AU◦T = AU AT . 

9
? Theorem 14 (Matrix of a Linear Operator/Change of Basis)

10
Let T be a linear operator on V and B, B0 two ordered bases for V. Let P denote the transition
matrix from B0 to B. Then:

h i h i
T 0 =P−1 T P
B B

Proof. Let α ∈ V.

MATH 550 - LINEAR ALGEBRA

. On one hand, we have
h i h i
Tα 0 = P−1 Tα (by the change of basis theorem)
B B
z }| {
h i h i
= P−1 T α
B B

. On the other hand, we have

h i h i h i
Tα 0 = T α 0
B B0 B
z }| {
h i h i
−1
= T P α (by the change of basis theorem)
B0 B

. It follows that h i h i
P−1 T = T 0 P−1
B B

? Similar Matrices
Let A and A0 be two n × n matrices over F:
A0 is similar to A if there exists an n × n invertible matrix P such that
 
A0 = P−1 AP equiv., PA0 = AP

? Remarks
h i h i
(1) In Theorem 14, T and T 0 are similar.

MATH 550 - LINEAR ALGEBRA

B B

(2) The converse is true; namely:

“Two similar matrices represent the same linear operator in two ordered bases”

Proof of (2). . Let A and 0

 A be two  n × n similar matrices over F.
 | 
Then, there exists P = 
−− p −−
ij  invertible such that
|
 

A0 = P−1 AP

n o
. Let B := α1 , . . . , αn be an ordered basis for V.
Then, by Converse of Theorem 11, there exits a linear operator T : V −→ V such that
h i
A= T
B

11
. For each j = 1, . . . , n, let

12
n
X
α0j = pij αi
i=1
n o
Then, B0 := α01 , . . . , α0n is a basis for V (since P is invertible).

. By construction, P is the transition matrix from B0 to B. Then, by Theorem 14, we get

h i h i
T 0 = P T P
−1
B B

= P−1 AP

MATH 550 - LINEAR ALGEBRA

= A0 as desired.


? Ex:
• 12, 13
• Example 16
• Example 17