Handout for Sections 5.1 and 5.

Key Definition: If V and W are vector spaces, a function T : V 7 W is called a linear

transformation if, for all vectors u and v in V and all scalars c, the following two properties are
satisfied:
1. T (u + v) = T (u) + T (v)

2. T (cv) = cT (v)

Vector spaces associated with a linear transformation T : V W :

Range(T ) = {T (v) | v V } = {w W | w = T (v) for some v V } W

ker(T ) = {v V | T (v) = ~0W } V

Examples
Determine whether the following transformations are linear transformations. Justify your answers
with clear annotated work.

1. Suppose A is an m n matrix. Let T : Rn Rm be defined by T (X) = AX.

2. Let D : C (R) C (R) be defined by D(f ) = f 0 .

x  
3 2 xy
3. Let T : R R be defined by T y =
.
x+y
z
4. Let T : P2 P1 be defined by T (ax2 + bx + c) = 3cx + 4b.

Z b
5. Let a, b, R with a < b. Let T : C(R) R be defined by T (f ) = f (x) dx.
a

(Details of this example are posted on Canvas.)

Building New Linear Transformations from Old Ones
Suppose S, T : V W and R : W U are linear transformations between vector spaces and c is
a scalar.
Then the functions S + T : V W , cT : V W , and RT : V U defined by

(S + T )(v) = S(v) + T (v) (cT )(v) = c(T (v)) (RT )(v) = R(T (v))

are all linear transformations.

Important Properties of Linear Transformations

Suppose T : V W is a linear transformation between vector spaces.

1. T (~0V ) = ~0W

2. T (c1 v1 + c2 v2 + . . . ck vk ) = c1 T (v1 ) + c2 T (v2 ) + . . . + ck T (vk ) for any scalars c1 , c2 , . . . , ck and

any vectors v1 , v2 , . . . , vk V .

3. If V is finite-dimensional, then T is fully determined by its values on the elements of a basis

of V .
Important Theorems about the Kernel and Range of a Linear Transformation
Theorem 5.3 Suppose V and W are vector spaces and T : V W is a linear transformation.
Then ker(T ) is a subspace of V and range(T ) is a subspace of W .

Proof that ker(T ) = {v V | T (v) = ~0W } is a subspace of V

Suppose T : V W is a linear transformation between vector spaces.

(The proof for the range of T is in the second linear transformations video on Canvas.)

Recall the following definitions: A function f : X Y is one-to-one if and only if f (x) = y

has at most one solution x X for each y Y , which is equivalent to saying that different inputs
are sent to different outputs. It is onto if and only if range(f ) = Y .

Theorem 5.3a Suppose V and W are vector spaces and T : V W is a linear transformation.
Then T is one-to-one if and only if ker(T ) consists of only the zero vector.

(The proof is in the second linear transformations video on Canvas.)

Isomorphisms
Definition Suppose V and W are vector spaces and T : V W is a linear transformation. Then
T is called an isomorphism if and only if T is one-to-one and onto.

Suppose V is a vector space of finite dimension n and is a basis of V consisting of the vectors
v1 , v2 , . . . , vn . Define T : Rn V by

c1
c2
T .. = c1 v1 + c2 v2 + . . . + cn vn .

.
cn

Note: For any v V , T ([v] ) = v, where [v] is the coordinate vector of v relative to .

Claim: T is an isomorphism.
Key Ideas:

Its straightforward to check that T is a linear transformation.

Why is T one-to-one?

Why is T onto?

We say that V is isomorphic to Rn . Thus, V can be viewed as essentially identical copy Rn

(since we have a one-to-one correspondence between the vectors in these spaces that preserves the
operations).

What Have We Shown: Every vector space of finite dimension n > 0 is isomorphic to Rn , so
it is the image of Rn under a one-to-one and onto linear transformation.