Matrices

L-8
*
Moon Moon Roy

TRANSFORMATION

A transformation (or, function or mapping) T from Rn to Rm , in notation T : Rn →

R is a rule that assigns to each vector x in Rn a vector T (x) in Rm . The set Rn is called
m

the domain of T , and Rm is called the codomain of T . For x in Rn , the vector T (x) in
Rm is called the image of x(under the action of T ). The set of all images T (x) is called the
range of T .

MATRIX TRANSFORMATION
For each vector x in Rn , T (x) is computed as Ax, where A is an m × n matrix. Sometimes
we denote such a matrix transformation by x :→ Ax. Observe that the domain of T is
Rn when A has n columns and the codomain of T is Rm when each column of A has m
entries. The range of T is the set of all linear combinations of the columns of A, because
each image T (x) is of the form Ax.

e.g., Suppose T : R5 → R2 and T (x) = Ax for some matrix A and for each x in R5 . How
many rows and columns does A have?

Ans: Columns=5 and Rows=2

The rank-nullity theorem: The rank and the nullity sum to the number of columns in a
given matrix.
i.e., for a matrix Am×n ; rank(A) + nullity(A) = n.

This can be generalized further to linear maps: if T : V → W is a linear map, then

rank(T ) + nullity(T ) = dim(V ).

Remark: The nullity of A is the number of free variables in the equation Ax = 0.

Example: If A is a 7 × 9 matrix with nullity 2 , what is the rank of A?

Solution: Since A has 9 columns, so by the rank-nullity theorem we have,

* Department of Mathematics, BBEC, Kokrajhar

1
rank(A) + nullity(A) = 9
=> rank(A) + 2 = 9 => rank(A) = 7

Example: Could a 6 × 9 matrix have nullity 2?

Solution: No.If a 6 × 9 matrix have nullity 2, then we have rank = 7, which is impossible
as rank ≤ 6.
     
1 −3   3 3
2
Example Let A =  3 5 , u = , b =  2 , c =  2 , and define a
−1
−1 7 −5 5
transformation T : R2 → R3 by T (x) = Ax, so that
   
1 −3   x1 − 3x2
x1
T (x) = Ax =  3 5  =  3x1 + 5x2 
x2
−1 7 −x1 + 7x2

a. Find T (u), the image of u under the transformation T .

b. Find an x in R2 whose image under T is b.
c. Is there more than one x whose image under T is b?
d. Determine if c is in the range of the transformation T .

Solution:    
1 −3   5
2
a. T (u) = Au =  3 5  = 1 
−1
−1 7 −9
   
1 −3   3
x 1
b. Solve T (x) = b for x. That is, solve Ax = b, or  3 5  = 2 
x2
−1 7 −5
..
 
  1 −3 . 3 
.

Now A .. b =  3 .
5 .. 2  R2 → R2 − 3R1
 
  R →R +R
.. 3 3 1
−1 7 . −5
..
 
 1 −3 . 3 
∼  0 14 ... −7 
 
  R2 → 71 R2
..
0 4 . −2
..
 
 1 −3 . 3 
∼ 0
 .. 
 2 . −1  R → R − 2R
.. 3 3 2
0 4 . −2

2
 ..
 
 1 −3 . 3 
∼ 0
 .. 
2 . −1 
R2 → 21 R2
 
..
0 0 . 0
..
 
 1 −3 . 3 
∼ 0 1
 .. 
R1 → R1 + 3R2
 . − 12  
..
0 0 . 0
..
 
3
 1 0 . 2 
∼  0 1 ... − 1  R1 → R1 + 3R2
 
 2 
.
0 0 .. 0
3 1
Hence x1 = , x2 = −
2 2.   3 
x1 2
So the image of this x = = under T is the given vector b.
x2 − 12

c. From the above we see that Ax = b has unique solution. So there is exactly one x
whose image is b.

d. The vector c is in the range of T if c is the image of some x in R2 , that is, if c = T (x)
for some x. That is just another way of asking if the system Ax = c is consistent.

..
 
  1 −3 . 3 
.

Now A .. c =  3
 .. 
R2 → R2 − 3R1
5 . 2 
R3 → R3 + R1
 
..
−1 7 . 5
..
 
 1 −3 . 3 
∼  0 14 ...
 
 −7  R2 → 71 R2
.
0 4 .. 8
..
 
 1 −3 . 3 
∼  0 2 ...
 
 −1 
 R → R − 2R
. 3 3 2
0 4 .. 8
..
 
 1 −3 . 3 
∼  0 2 ...
 
 −1 

.
0 0 .. 10

3
 .
Here ρ(A) = 2 and ρ([A .. c]) = 3
.
∵ ρ(A) 6= ρ([A .. c]), ∴ Ax = c is inconsistent and hence c is not in the range of the
transformation T .

HOMEWORK

1. Let A be a 6 × 5 matrix. What must a and b be in order to define T : Ra − > Rb by

T (x) = Ax?
2. How many rows and columns must a matrix A have in order to define a mapping from
R4 into R5 by the rule T (x) = Ax?
3. If a 3 × 8 matrix A has rank 3, find the nullity of A.
4. If a 6 × 3 matrix A has rank 3, find the nullity of A.
5. If a 7 × 6 matrix A has nullity 5, find the rank of A.

6. If a 8 × 5 matrix A has nullity 2, find the rank of A.

 
2 0
7. Let A = , and define T : R2 − > R2 by T (x) = Ax. Find the image under T
0 2
   
1 a
of u = and v = .
−3 b

8. Find a vector x whose image under T is b with T defined by T (x) = Ax and determine
whether
 x is unique?   
1 −5 −7 −2
A= ,b=
−3 7 5 −2