Home | 18.022 | Chapter 16 | Section 16.1

Tools    Index    Up    Previous    Next


Proof

Suppose M is the matrix that describes T in a given basis B, so that the columns of M represent the images of the members of B expressed as linear combinations of the members of B, and M is the matrix similarly describing T with respect to basis B.
What is the relation of M to M?
Let J be the (Jacobian) matrix whose columns are the basis vectors of B expressed in terms of those of B.
Then MJ has columns which are the images of the basis vectors of B expressed in terms of those of B.
To reexpress these in terms of the basis vectors of B you must multiply on the left by the matrix which expresses the members of B as linear combinations of those of B.
This is the inverse Jacobian, J-1. We therefore have M = J-1 MJ, and, by our last result, as claimed:

M=J-1MJ = J-1JM=IM=M.