LECTURE 12:

M AT R I X M U LT I P L I C AT I O N C O N T I N U E D
Wednesday, April 27
Last time we defined matrix multiplication by considering the matrix
representation of the composition of two linear transformations.
Today we want to show how the matrix representation can be used to
determine the image of vectors under a given linear transformation.
Well then use this idea to construct a very simple, but interesting,
set of linear transformations on Fn .

matrix multiplication and linear transformations

One of the primary utilities of the matrix representation of a linear

transformation is given by the next result.
Theorem 1.1. Let V and W be finite dimensional vector spaces with
ordered bases and , respectively. Let T : V W be a linear
transformation. Then for each v P V we have
rT pvqs rT s rvs .
Proof. Suppose tv1 , . . . , vm u and tw1 , . . . , wn u, and let v P V.
We know that
v a1 v1 ` ` an vm ,
for some scalars ai P F. Therefore,




a1
1
0
0
a2
0
1
0




rvs .. a1 .. ` a2 .. ` ` am ..
.
.
.
.
am
0
0
1
a1 rv1 s ` a2 rv2 s ` ` am rvm s .
By an exercise in the homework (Problem Set 5), we know that matrix
multiplication is distributive. Therefore
`

rT s rvs rT s a1 rv1 s ` a2 rv2 s ` ` an rvn s

rT s a1 rv1 s ` rT s a2 rv2 s ` ` rT s am rvm s .

Furthermore, in that same problem it was also shown that matrix

multiplication commutes with scalar multiplication. Therefore,

rT s a1 rv1 s ` rT s a2 rv2 s ` ` rT s am rvm s .

a1 rT s rv1 s ` a2 rT s rv2 s ` ` am rT s rvm s .

Now, recall from the above that rvj s is the jth standard basis vector
of Fm . That is, rvj s is the vector of Fm with a 1 in the jth position
and a 0 everywhere else. Therefore,
rT s rvj s jth column of rT s .
However, by definition, the jth column of rT s is simply the column
vector rT pvj qs . Therefore,

a1 rT s rv1 s ` a2 rT s rv2 s ` ` am rT s rvm s

a1 rT pv1 qs ` a2 rT pv2 qs ` ` am rT pvm qs .
ra1 T pv1 qs ` ra2 T pv2 qs ` ` ram T pvm qs
rT pa1 v1 qs ` rT pa2 v2 qs ` ` rT pam vm qs
rT pa1 v1 ` a2 v2 ` ` am vm qs rT pvqs .

Example 1. Recall the linear transformation T : P3 pRq P2 pRq

given by differentiation, that is,
T pppxqq p1 pxq.
Let t1, x, x2 , x3 u and t1, x, x2 u be the standard ordered
basis for P3 pRq and P2 pRq, respectively. Then in a previous
lecture we showed that

0 1 0 0
rT s 0 0 2 0.
0 0 0 3
Lets consider an arbitrary polynomial in P3 pRq and verify that
the above theorem holds.
Let 2x3 x2 ` 5 P P3 pRq. Then
T p2x3 x2 ` 5q 6x2 2x.

We have

5
0

r2x3 x2 ` 5s
1
2

0
r6x2 2xs 2.
6

and

We then note that

rT s r2x3 x2 ` 5s

0 1

0 0

0 0

0
2
6

5
0 0
0
2 0
1
0 3
2

rT p2x3 x2 ` 5qs .

the left-multiplication transformation

With the above theorem as inspiration, we are able to define a very

simple set of linear transformations on the vector space Fn .
Theorem 2.1. Let A be an m n matrix with entries in a field F. We
denote by LA the mapping LA : Fn Fm defined by LA pxq Ax,
which we call the left-multiplication transformation. The mapping
LA : Fn Fm is a linear transformation.
Proof. The only statement in the above that need proof is that LA is
a linear transformation. However, this follows immediately from the
fact that matrix multiplication is distributive and commutes scalar
multiplication papABq paAqB ApaBq for matrices A and B and a
scalar a). Let x, y P Fn and a P F. Then
LA pax ` yq Apax ` yq aAx ` Ay aLA pxq ` LA pyq.

Example 2. Let

1 2
A 0 3 .
4 1

Then LA : R2 R3 . We have

1 2
0
2
2

0 3
3.

LA
1
1
4 1
9
Next we establish some useful properties of the left-multiplication
transformation.
Theorem 2.2. Let A and B be two m n matrices with entries in
a field F. Let and be the standard ordered bases for Fn and Fm ,
respectively. Then we have the following:
paq rLA s A.
pbq LA LB if and only if A B.
pcq LA`B LA ` LB and aLA LaA for all a P F.
pdq If T : Fn Fm is linear, then there exists a unique m n matrix
C such that T LC . In fact, rT s C.
peq If C is an n p matrix, LAC LA LC .
pfq If m n, then LIn IFn .
Proof. paq Let tv1 , . . . , vn u be the standard ordered basis of Fn . As
was explained in the example above, the ith column of rLA s is
rLA pvi qs rAvi s . But Avi is just the ith column of A, and since
is the standard ordered basis for Fm , we know that rAvi s Avi .
Therefore, rLA s A.
pbq Suppose LA LB . Then from part (a) we have
A rLA s rLB s B.
Conversely, if A B it is clear that LA LB .
pcq Homework.
pdq Suppose T : Fn Fm is linear. By Theorem ?? we know that for
all x P Fn we have
T pxq rT pxqs rT s rxs rT s x,
so we see that if C rT s , then T LC . To see that C is unique,
suppose T LC1 for some matrix C1 . Then by part pbq we have
C C1 .

peq Using the fact that matrix multiplication is associative (proven in

the homework), for all x P Fn we have
LAC pxq pACqx ApCxq LA pCxq LA pLC pxqq.
Hence, LAC LA LC .
pfq Homework.