CHANGE OF BASIS AND LINEAR OPERATORS

JAN MANDEL

Supplement to Lays Linear algebra, Sec. 5.4

1. Notation.
V is a vector space and B = {b1 , . . . , bn } its basis
W is a vector space and C = {c1 , . . . , cm } its basis
T : V W is a linear operator
2. Matrix of a linear operator. Consider x V with coordinates [x]B =
(x1 , . . . , xn ),
x = x1 b1 + + xn bn .
Applying to this the linear operator T we get
T x = x1 T b1 + + xn T bn .
Applying the linear operator y 7 [y]C , we get
[T x]C = x1 [T b1 ]C + + xn [T bn ]C ,
hence

x1



[T x]C = [T b1 ]C , . . . , [T bn ]C ... ,
xn
so
[T x]C = TCB [x]B .
where


TCB = [T b1 ]C , . . . , [T bn ]C
is the matrix of the operator T relative to the bases B and C.
3. Special cases.
1. If V = W and T = I is the identity operator I : x 7 x on V , the matrix of I
relative to the bases B and C is the change of coordinates matrix from B to
C,

ICB = [b1 ]C , . . . , [bn ]C ] = PCB .
(P is the notation for the same thing from Sec. 4.7).
2. If V = Rn , W = Rm , B and C are the canonical bases, that is columns of
the identity matrices of size n and m, respectively, and T : x 7 Ax, where
A = [a1 , . . . , an ] is m n matrix, then


TCB = [T b1 ]C , . . . , [T bn ]C = [a1 , . . . , an ] = A.
3. If V = W = Rn , P the matrix having as columns the vectors of B, and E =
{e1 , . . . , en } is the canonical basis in Rn , then P is the change of coordinates
matrix from B to E,
P = [b1 , . . . , bn ] = IEB .
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4. Change of basis and matrix of a linear operator. Let T : V V and

B, C are two bases of V . Then
[T x]B = TBB [x]B
and
[T x]C = ICB [T x]B
= ICB TBB [x]B
1
= ICB TBB ICB
[x]C ,
which gives
1
TCC = ICB TBB ICB
.

5. Similarity of matrices and diagonalization. Consider n n matrix A,

the linear operator T : x 7 Ax in Rn , and a regular matrix P . With B the basis
formed by the columns of P and E the canonical basis (=columns of identity matrix),
we have
A = TEE
1
= IEB TBB IEB
1
= P DP , D = TBB .
If two matrices A and D are related by A = P DP 1 for some matrix P , we say that
they are similar. We see that two similar matrices can be always understood to be
matrices of the same linear operator relative to two different bases.
6. Diagonalization. A particularly important case is when A = P DP 1 with
D a diagonal matrix. Then we say that A is diagonalizable, and we know from Sec. 5.3
that the diagonal entries of D are eigenvalues and the columns of P are egenvectors of
A. Finding such D and P is called diagonalization of A, and it is the same as finding
a basis in which the matrix of the operator x 7 Ax is diagonal. This is a basis formed
of eigenvectors of A.
7. Transformation of eigenvectors. If A = P DP 1 then the following is
equivalent:
Au = u
P DP u = u
DP 1 u = P 1 u.
1

Hence, the eivenvalues of A and P DP 1 are same, and the eigenvectors u of A and
eigenvectors v of D are related by v = P 1 u, that is, u = P v.