Solutions to Linear Transformation Problems

Question (a)
Show that \( T \) is a linear transformation.

To prove that \( T \) is a linear transformation, we need to show two properties:

1. 1. Additivity: \( T(\mathbf{u} + \mathbf{v}) = T(\mathbf{u}) + T(\mathbf{v}) \)

2. 2. Homogeneity: \( T(k\mathbf{u}) = kT(\mathbf{u}) \)

Let \( \mathbf{u} = (a_1, b_1, c_1) \) and \( \mathbf{v} = (a_2, b_2, c_2) \).

Additivity

\[ T(\mathbf{u} + \mathbf{v}) = T((a_1, b_1, c_1) + (a_2, b_2, c_2)) = T(a_1 + a_2, b_1 + b_2,
c_1 + c_2) \]
\[ = 2(a_1 + a_2) + ((b_1 + b_2) + (c_1 + c_2)) \]
\[ = 2a_1 + 2a_2 + b_1 + b_2 + c_1 + c_2 \]
\[ = (2a_1 + b_1 + c_1) + (2a_2 + b_2 + c_2) \]
\[ = T(a_1, b_1, c_1) + T(a_2, b_2, c_2) \]
Therefore, \( T(\mathbf{u} + \mathbf{v}) = T(\mathbf{u}) + T(\mathbf{v}) \).

Homogeneity

\[ T(k\mathbf{u}) = T(k(a, b, c)) = T(ka, kb, kc) \]

\[ = 2(ka) + ((kb) + (kc)) \]
\[ = k(2a) + k(b + c) \]
\[ = k(2a + b + c) \]
\[ = kT(a, b, c) \]
Therefore, \( T(k\mathbf{u}) = kT(\mathbf{u}) \).

Since both properties hold, \( T \) is a linear transformation.

Question (b)

Is \( (2, 1, -1) \in \text{Ker}(T) \)?

To check if \( (2, 1, -1) \) is in the kernel of \( T \), we need to determine if \( T(2, 1, -1) =
0 \).

\[ T(2, 1, -1) = 2(2) + (1 + (-1)) = 4 + 0 = 4 \]

Since \( T(2, 1, -1) \neq 0 \), \( (2, 1, -1) \) is not in the kernel of \( T \).
Question (c)

Find a basis of \( \text{Ker}(T) \).

The kernel of \( T \) is the set of all vectors \( (a, b, c) \) such that \( T(a, b, c) = 0 \).

\[ T(a, b, c) = 2a + (b + c) = 0 \]
\[ \implies 2a + b + c = 0 \]

We can express one variable in terms of the others. For example, let \( a \) and \( b \) be
free variables. Then,

\[ c = -2a - b \]

A general solution for the kernel is:

\[ (a, b, c) = (a, b, -2a - b) = a(1, 0, -2) + b(0, 1, -1) \]

The vectors \( (1, 0, -2) \) and \( (0, 1, -1) \) form a basis for \( \text{Ker}(T) \).

Question (d)

Find the rank and the nullity of \( T \).

The **nullity** of \( T \) is the dimension of the kernel of \( T \), which is the number of
vectors in the basis of \( \text{Ker}(T) \). From part (c), we found that the basis of \( \
text{Ker}(T) \) consists of 2 vectors:

So, **nullity** \( = 2 \).

The **rank** of \( T \) is the dimension of the image (or range) of \( T \). Since \( T \) maps
\( \mathbb{R}^3 \) to \( \mathbb{R} \) and the rank-nullity theorem states:

\[ \text{Rank}(T) + \text{Nullity}(T) = \text{Dimension of domain} \]

Given that the dimension of the domain (\( \mathbb{R}^3 \)) is 3:

\[ \text{Rank}(T) + 2 = 3 \]
\[ \text{Rank}(T) = 1 \]

So, the **rank** of \( T \) is 1.