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Change of Coordinates Math 130 Linear Algebra: 1j 2j NJ

The document discusses change of basis matrices and how they are used to convert between coordinate representations of vectors with respect to different bases. It defines the transition matrix Pβ←γ that converts coordinates from basis γ to basis β. Applying this matrix to a vector's coordinates in the γ basis gives its coordinates in the β basis. The inverse of the transition matrix performs the reverse conversion. The matrix representation of a linear operator T depends on the choice of basis. The matrix [T]γ that represents T with respect to basis γ can be obtained from [T]β by pre- and post-multiplying by the appropriate transition matrices. Similarity of matrices is introduced, where two matrices represent the same linear operator if they are related

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45 views3 pages

Change of Coordinates Math 130 Linear Algebra: 1j 2j NJ

The document discusses change of basis matrices and how they are used to convert between coordinate representations of vectors with respect to different bases. It defines the transition matrix Pβ←γ that converts coordinates from basis γ to basis β. Applying this matrix to a vector's coordinates in the γ basis gives its coordinates in the β basis. The inverse of the transition matrix performs the reverse conversion. The matrix representation of a linear operator T depends on the choice of basis. The matrix [T]γ that represents T with respect to basis γ can be obtained from [T]β by pre- and post-multiplying by the appropriate transition matrices. Similarity of matrices is introduced, where two matrices represent the same linear operator if they are related

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Cody Sage
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© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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(b1j , b2j , . . . , bnj ), so b1j b2j [bj ] = . . . bnj of a matrix P to . . . b1n . . . b2n . .. . . . . . .

bnn

Change of coordinates Math 130 Linear Algebra


D Joyce, Fall 2012

Collect these in the columns The coordinates of a vector v in a vector space form a transition matrix. V with respect to a basis = {b1 , b2 , . . . , vb } are b11 b12 those coecients ci which uniquely express v as as b21 b22 linear combination of the basis vectors P = . . . . . . v = v1 b1 + v2 b2 + + vn bn . bn1 bn2 These coecients v1 , v2 , . . . , vn are called coordinates with respect to the basis . The column vector of these coordinates is denoted [v] . v1 v2 [v] = . . . vn When the basis is the standard basis for F n = {e1 , e2 , . . . , en }, then the coordinates [v] of (v1 , v2 , . . . , vn ) are just the usual v1 v2 [v] = . . . vn

Now, the -coordinates for bj are all 0s except a 1 in the j th coordinate, so multiplying P by the column matrix [bj ] picks out the j th column, which are the standard coordinates for bj , so P [bj ] = [bj ] . More generally, for an arbitrary vector v in Fn , the -coordinates [v] of v as a linear combination of the basis vectors in , so P [v] = [v] .

Thus, the transition matrix P converts from coordinates to coordinates. a vector v = Unfortunately, its usually the reverse change of coordinates of v. coordinates that we want. But we can do that, too. To convert the other way, just invert the matrix P to get P = (P )1 . Then, P [v] = [v] .

Changing between standard coordinates with respect to another. Take the case when V is F n and the basis is not the standard basis . We may have the standard coordinates of a vector and want the coordinates of it, or vice versa. How do we convert back and forth? Theres a transition matrix for that. Let the -basis vector bj have standard coordinates bj = 1

Example 1. A low-dimensional example will help explain things. Let = {b1 , b2 } be a basis of R2 where b1 = (3, 1) and b2 = (4, 2). In the gure, the standard coordinates are shown with black axes and a yellow grid, while the coordinates are shown with blue axes and a cyan grid.

   HH  H H HH  HH  H H HH HH H H H  
H HH
HH  H H  HH H
v  H  HH H H H  Y H 
H H    H HH
 H b2 1  HH
HH HH H
 b1 HH  H H
 H H HH HH   H H  HH H HH H  HH HH    H H  HH  HH H  H HH HH  H  H HH  HH H  H HH  HH  H  H HH  HH H H  HH HH HH

with respect to the basis . Then put them in columns in a matrix, which we denote P . And we get analogous results: [v] = P [v] but for two dierent bases and . If you want the reverse change of coordinates, invert the matrix. P = (P )1 . Then, P [v] = [v] . In the case that the vector space V is F n , we can use the standard basis as an intermediate step. We can also compute P as a composition P = P P = (P )1 P which is easy to use since the columns of P and P are the basis vectors of and of , respectively. Matrix representation of linear operators. A linear operator is just a linear transformation T : V V from a vector space to itself. In order to represent a linear transformation between two dierent vector spaces, you need to choose a basis for each, but for linear operators, only one basis for V is needed. If you choose a dierent basis for V , youll get a dierent matrix. If the matrix [T ] represents T for the basis , how can you nd the matrix [T ] that represents T for the basis ? Answer, just use the two change of coordinate matrices P and P . If you start with a vector [v] in -coordinates, rst hit it with P to get it in -coordinates. Now youve got [v] , so hit that with [T ] to get [T (v)] . Finally, hit that with P to get [T (v)] . Thus, [T ] = P [T ] P .

The transition matrix is P = and its inverse is P = (P )1 = 0.2 0.4 0.1 0.3 3 4 1 2

Take a typical vector v, say v = (2, 3). Then its -coordinates are [v] = P [v] = 0.2 0.4 0.1 0.3 2 1.6 = 3 0.7

The same vector v in the plane can be described in two ways. In standard coordinates go 2 e1 s (2 units right) and 3 e2 s (3 units up), or in -coordinates, go 1.6 b1 s and 0.7 b2 s.

Changing between coordinates with respect to two dierent bases. How do you convert between coordinates [v] of a vector v with respect to a basis and coordinates [v] with respect to a dierent basis ? 1 One way is to do the same as we just did where Since (P ) = P , we can also write that equathe basis replaces the standard basis . Start tion as 1 by nding the coordinates of the basis vectors of [T ] = P [T ] P . 2

This observation yields the following theorem Outside of mathematics equivalence relations are where the matrix Q in the statement is the transi- common, too. Being the same height, being on the tion matrix P [T ]. same basketball team in a sports league, and having the same parents are three dierent equivalence Theorem 2. Two matrices A and B represent the relations. same linear operator if and only if there is an inIn fact, the word same indicates theres an asvertible matrix Q such that sociated equivalence relation. B = Q1 AQ. Math 130 Home Page at http://math.clarku.edu/~djoyce/ma130/ Similar matrices and equivalence relations. Knowing when two matrices represent the same linear operator is so important that theres a name for them. Denition 3. Two square matrices A and B are said to be similar or conjugate when there is an invertible matrix Q such that B = Q1 AQ. Well denote similar matrices A B. With that denition, we can summarize the previous theorem as saying similar matrices represent the same linear operator. Similarity is a binary relation that has three important properties Reexivity. Any square matrix is similar to itself. A A. Symmetry. If one matrix is similar to another, then the other is similar to it. A B implies B A. Transitivity. If one matrix is similar to another, and the second is similar to the third, then the rst is similar to the third. A B and B C imply A C. Any binary relation that has these three properties is called an equivalence relation. Equivalence relations occur throughout mathematics. Youre familiar with a few of them. For example, similarity of triangles in geometry. Also congruence of triangles. In calculus, having the same derivative is an equivalence relation although its usually not called an equivalence relation in a calculus course. In number theory, congruence modulo n is an equivalence relation. 3

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