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Section 2.1 Definition and examples

Let V and W be vector spaces. At their most basic, all vector spaces are sets. Given any two sets, we can consider functions from one to the other. The functions of interest in linear algebra are those that respect the vector space structure of the sets.

Definition 2.1.1.

Let V and W be vector spaces. A function T:VW is called a linear transformation if:
  1. For all v1,v2V, T(v1+v2)=T(v1)+T(v2).
  2. For all vV and scalars c, T(cv)=cT(v).
We often use the term linear operator to refer to a linear transformation T:VV from a vector space to itself.
The properties of a linear transformation tell us that a linear map T preserves the operations of addition and scalar multiplication. (When the domain and codomain are different vector spaces, we might say that T intertwines the operations of the two vector spaces.) In particular, any linear transformation T must preserve the zero vector, and respect linear combinations.

Strategy.

For the first part, remember that old trick we’ve used a couple of times before: 0+0=0. What happens if you apply T to both sides of this equation?
For the second part, note that the addition property of a linear transformation looks an awful lot like a distributive property, and we can distribute over a sum of three or more vectors using the associative property. You’ll want to deal with the addition first, and then the scalar multiplication.

Proof.

  1. Since 0V+0V=0V, we have
    T(0V)=T(0V+0V)=T(0V)+T(0V).
    Adding T(0V) to both sides of the above gives us 0W=T(0V).
  2. The addition property of a linear transformation can be extended to sums of three or more vectors using associativity. Therefore, we have
    T(c1v1++cnvn)=T(c1v1)++T(cnvn)=c1T(v1)++cnT(vn),
    where the second line follows from the scalar multiplication property.

Remark 2.1.3.

Technically, we skipped over some details in the above proof: how exactly, is associativity being applied? It turns out there’s actually a proof by induction lurking in the background!
By definition, we know that T(v1+v2)=T(v1)+T(v2). For three vectors,
T(v1+v2+v3)=T(v1+(v2+v3))=T(v1)+T(v2+v3)=T(v1)+(T(v2)+T(v3))=T(v1)+T(v2)+T(v3).
For an abitrary number of vectors n3, we can assume that distribution over addition works for n1 vectors, and then use associativity to write
v1+v2++vn=v1+(v2++vn).
The right-hand side is technically a sum of two vectors, so we can apply the definition of a linear transformation directly, and then apply our induction hypothesis to T(v2++vn).

Example 2.1.4.

Let V=Rn and let W=Rm. For any m×n matrix A, the map TA:RnRm defined by
TA(x)=Ax
is a linear transformation. (This follows immediately from properties of matrix multiplication.)
Let B={e1,,en} denote the standard basis of Rn. (See Example 1.7.6.) Recall (or convince yourself, with a couple of examples) that Aei is equal to the ith column of A. Thus, if we know the value of a linear transformation T:RnRm on each basis vector, we can immediately determine the matrix A such that T=TA:
A=[T(e1)T(e2)T(en)].
This is true because T and TA agree on the standard basis: for each i=1,2,,n,
TA(ei)=Aei=T(ei).
Moreover, if two linear transformations agree on a basis, they must be equal. Given any xRn, we can write x uniquely as a linear combination
x=c1e1+c2e2++cnen.
If T(ei)=TA(ei) for each i, then by Theorem 2.1.2 we have
T(x)=T(c1e1+c2e2++cnen)=c1T(e1)+c2T(e2)++cnT(en)=c1TA(e1)+c2TA(e2)++cnTA(en)=TA(c1e1+c2e2++cnen)=TA(x).
Let’s look at some other examples of linear transformations.
  • For any vector spaces V,W we can define the zero transformation 0:VW by 0(v)=0 for all vV.
  • On any vector space V we have the identity transformation 1V:VV defined by 1V(v)=v for all vV.
  • Let V=F[a,b] be the space of all functions f:[a,b]R. For any c[a,b] we have the evaluation map Ea:VR defined by Ea(f)=f(a).
    To see that this is linear, note that Ea(0)=0(a)=0, where 0 denotes the zero function; for any f,gV,
    Ea(f+g)=(f+g)(a)=f(a)+g(a)=Ea(f)+Ea(g),
    and for any scalar cR,
    Ea(cf)=(cf)(a)=c(f(a))=cEa(f).
    Note that the evaluation map can similarly be defined as a linear transformation on any vector space of polynomials.
  • On the vector space C[a,b] of all continuous functions on [a,b], we have the integration map I:C[a,b]R defined by I(f)=abf(x)dx. The fact that this is a linear map follows from properties of integrals proved in a calculus class.
  • On the vector space C1(a,b) of continuously differentiable functions on (a,b), we have the differentiation map D:C1(a,b)C(a,b) defined by D(f)=f. Again, linearity follows from properties of the derivative.
  • Let R denote the set of sequences (a1,a2,a3,) of real numbers, with term-by-term addition and scalar multiplication. The shift operators
    SL(a1,a2,a3,)=(a2,a3,a4,)SR(a1,a2,a3,)=(0,a1,a2,)
    are both linear.
  • On the space Mmn(R) of m×n matrices, the trace defines a linear map tr:Mmn(R)R, and the transpose defines a linear map T:Mmn(R)Mnm(R). The determinant and inverse operations on Mnn are not linear.

Exercise 2.1.5.

    Which of the following are linear transformations?
  • The function T:R2R2 given by T(x,y)=(xy,x+2y+1).
  • Since T(0,0)=(0,1)(0,0), this can’t be a linear transformation.
  • The function f:P2(R)R2 given by f(p(x))=(p(1),p(2)).
  • This looks unusual, but it’s linear! You can check that f(p(x)+q(x))=f(p(x))+f(q(x)), and f(cp(x))=cf(p(x)).
  • The function g:R2R2 given by g(x,y)=(2xy,2xy).
  • Although this function preserves the zero vector, it doesn’t preserve addition or scalar multiplication. For example, g(1,0)+g(0,1)=(2,0)+(1,0)=(1,0), but g((1,0)+(0,1))=g(1,1)=(1,2).
  • The function M:P2(R)P3(R) given by M(p(x))=xp(x).
  • Multiplication by x might feel non-linear, but remember that x is not a “variable” as far as the transformation is concerned! It’s more of a placeholder. Try checking the definition directly.
  • The function D:M2×2(R)R given by D(A)=det(A).
  • Remember that det(A+B)det(A)+det(B) in general!
  • The function f:RV given by f(x)=ex, where V=(0,), with the vector space structure defined in Exercise 1.1.1.
  • An exponential function that’s linear? Seems impossible, but remember that “addition” xy in V is really multiplication, so f(x+y)=ex+y=exey=f(x)f(y), and similarly, f(cx)=cf(x).
Hint.
Usually, you can expect a linear transformation to involve homogeneous linear expressions. Things like products, powers, and added constants are usually clues that something is nonlinear.
For finite-dimensional vector spaces, it is often convenient to work in terms of a basis. The properties of a linear transformation tell us that we can completely define any linear transformation by giving its values on a basis. In fact, it’s enough to know the value of a transformation on a spanning set. The argument given in Example 2.1.4 can be applied to any linear transformation, to obtain the following result.
Caution: If the above spanning set is not also independent, then we can’t just define the values T(vi) however we want. For example, suppose we want to define T:R2R2, and we set R2=span{(1,2),(4,1),(5,1)}. If T(1,2)=(3,4) and T(4,1)=(2,2), then we must have T(5,1)=(1,6). Why? Because (5,1)=(1,2)+(4,1), and if T is to be linear, then we have to have T((1,2)+(4,1))=T(1,2)+T(4,1).

Remark 2.1.7.

If for some reason we already know that our transformation is linear, we might still be concerned about the fact that if a spanning set is not independent, there will be more than one way to express a vector as linear combination of vectors in that set. If we define T by giving its values on a spanning set, will it be well-defined? (That is, could we get two different values for T(v) by expressing v in terms of the spanning set in two different ways?) Suppose that we have scalars a1,,an,b1,,bn such that
v=a1v1++anvn and v=b1v1++bnvn
We then have
a1T(v1)++anT(vn)=T(a1v1++anvn)=T(b1v1++bnvn)=b1T(v1)++bnT(vn).
Of course, we can avoid all of this unpleasantness by using a basis to define a transformation. Given a basis B={v1,,vn} for a vector space V, we can define a transformation T:VW by setting T(vi)=wi for some choice of vectors w1,,wn and defining
T(c1v1++cnvn)=c1T(v1)++cnT(vn).
Because each vector vV can be written uniquely in terms of a basis, we know that our transformation is well-defined.
The next theorem seems like an obvious consequence of the above, and indeed, one might wonder where the assumption of a basis is needed. The distinction here is that the vectors w1,,wnW are chosen in advance, and then we define T by setting T(bi)=wi, rather than simply defining each wi as T(bi).
With the basic theory out of the way, let’s look at a few basic examples.

Example 2.1.9.

Suppose T:R2R2 is a linear transformation. If T[10]=[34] and T[01]=[52], find T[24].
Solution.
Since we know the value of T on the standard basis, we can use properties of linear transformations to immediately obtain the answer:
T[24]=T(2[10]+4[01])=2T[10]+4T[01]=2[34]+4[52]=[1416].

Example 2.1.10.

Suppose T:R2R2 is a linear transformation. Given that T[31]=[14] and T[25]=[21], find T[43].
Solution.
At first, this example looks the same as the one above, and to some extent, it is. The difference is that this time, we’re given the values of T on a basis that is not the standard one. This means we first have to do some work to determine how to write the given vector in terms of the given basis.
Suppose we have a[31]+b[25]=[43] for scalars a,b. This is equivalent to the matrix equation
[3215][ab]=[43].
Solving (perhaps using the code cell below), we get a=2617,b=517.
Therefore,
T[43]=2617[14]517[21]=[16/17109/17].

Exercise 2.1.11.

Suppose T:P2(R)R is defined by
T(x+2)=1,T(1)=5,T(x2+x)=0.
Find T(2x+3x2).

Example 2.1.12.

Find a linear transformation T:R2R3 such that
T(1,2)=(1,1,0) and T(1,1)=(0,2,1).
Then, determine the value of T(3,2).
Solution.
Since {(1,2),(1,1)} forms a basis of R2 (the vectors are not parallel and there are two of them), it suffices to determine how to write a general vector in terms of this basis. Suppose
x(1,2)+y(1,1)=(a,b)
for a general element (a,b)R2. This is equivalent to the matrix equation [1121][xy]=[ab], which we can solve as [xy]=[1121]1[ab]:
This gives us the result
(a,b)=13(a+b)(1,2)+13(2a+b)(1,1).
Thus,
T(a,b)=13(a+b)T(1,2)+13(2a+b)T(1,1)=13(a+b)(1,1,0)+13(2a+b)(0,2,1)=(a+b3,a+b,2ab3).
We conclude that
T(3,2)=(53,1,43).

Exercises Exercises

1.

Let T:VW be a linear transformation. Rearrange the blocks below to create a proof of the following statement:
For any vectors v1,,vnV, if {T(v1),,T(vn)} is linearly independent in W, then {v1,,vn} is linearly independent in V.
Hint.
This is mostly a matter of using Theorem 2.1.2, but it’s important to get the logic correct. We have a conditional statement of the form PQ, where both P (“the set {T(v1),,T(vn)} is independent”) and Q (“the set {v1,,vn} is independent”) are themselves conditional statements.
The overall structure therefore looks like (AB)(CD). A direct proof should be structured as follows:
  1. Assume the main hypothesis: AB.
  2. Assume the “sub”-hypothesis C.
  3. Figure out how to show that CA. (This is the “apply T to both sides” step.)
  4. If we know A, and we’ve assumed AB, we know B.
  5. Realize that BD.

2.

(a) Suppose f:R2R3 is a linear transformation such that
f(10)=(234),f(01)=(453).
Compute f(37).
(b) Suppose f:R12R2 is a linear transformation such that
f(e4)=(25),f(e7)=(14),f(e8)=(53).
Compute f(5e4+4e7)f(6e8+2e7).
(c) Let V be a vector space and let v1,v2,v3V. Suppose T:VR2 is a linear transformation such that
T(v1)=(32),T(v2)=(51),T(v3)=(13).
Compute 4T(v1)+T(2v2+5v3).

3.

Let Mn,n(R) denote the vector space of n×n matrices with real entries. Let f:M2,2(R)M2,2(R) be the function defined by f(A)=AT for any AM2,2(R). Determine if f is a linear transformation, as follows:
Let A=[a11a12a21a22] and B=[b11b12b21b22] be any two matrices in M2,2(R) and let cR.
(a) f(A+B)=
f(A)+f(B)= + .
Does f(A+B)=f(A)+f(B) for all A,BM2,2(R)?
(b) f(cA)= .
c(f(A))= ( ).
Does f(cA)=c(f(A)) for all cR and all AM2,2(R)?
(c) Is f a linear transformation?

4.

Let f:RR be defined by f(x)=2x3. Determine if f is a linear transformation, as follows:
(a) f(x+y)= .
f(x)+f(y)= + .
Does f(x+y)=f(x)+f(y) for all x,yR?
(b) f(cx)= .
c(f(x))= ( ).
Does f(cx)=c(f(x)) for all c,xR?
(c) Is f a linear transformation?

5.

Let V and W be vector spaces and let v1,v2V and w1,w2W.
(a) Suppose T:VW is a linear transformation.
Find T(6v1v2) and write your answer in terms of T(v1) and T(v2).
(b) Suppose L:VW is a linear transformation such that L(v1)=w1+w2 and L(v2)=8w2.
Find L(6v1+3v2) in terms of w1 and w2.

6.

Let T:R2R2 be a linear transformation that sends the vector u=(5,2) into (2,1) and maps v=(1,3) into (1,3). Use properties of a linear transformation to calculate the following.
(a) T(4u)
(b) T(6v)
(c) T(4u6v)

7.

Let e1=(1,0), e2=(0,1), x1=(7,8) and x2=(2,9).
Let T:R2R2 be a linear transformation that sends e1 to x1 and e2 to x2.
If T maps (1,6) to the vector y, find y.

8.

Let
v1=[12]  and  v2=[11].
Let T:R2R2 be the linear transformation satisfying
T(v1)=[117]  and  T(v2)=[513].
Find the image T([xy]) of an arbitrary vector [xy].

9.

If T:R3R3 is a linear transformation such that
T([100])=[401],T([010])=[133],T([001])=[132],
find the value of  T([142]).

10.

Let T:P3P3 be the linear transformation such that
T(2x2)=4x24x,T(0.5x+2)=4x22x+1,T(3x2+1)=4x4.
(d)
Compute T(ax2+bx+c), where a, b, and c are arbitrary real numbers.

11.

If T:P1P1 is a linear transformation such that T(1+4x)=2+4x  and  T(3+11x)=3+2x, , find the value of T(45x).
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