Math 333 - Practice Exam 2 with Some Solutions

(Note that the exam will NOT be this long.)

1 Definitions
1. (0 points) Let T : V → W be a transformation. Let A be a square matrix.
(a) Define “T is linear”.

(b) Define the null space of T , null(T ).

(c) Define the image of T , image(T ).

(d) Define “T is one-to-one”.

(e) Define “T is onto”.

(f) Define “T is invertible”.

(g) Define “T is an isomorphism”.

(h) Define rank(T ) and nullity(T ).

(i) Define “A is invertible”.

Solution: See your notes or textbook.

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2 Linear Transformations, Null Spaces, and Images
2. (0 points) Let T : P2 (R) → P2 (R) be given by T (f (x)) = f (x) − xf 0 (x).
(a) Show T is linear.

Solution: Let a ∈ R and f (x), g(x) ∈ P2 (R). Then

T (af (x) + g(x)) = [af (x) + g(x)] − x[af (x) + g(x)]0

= af (x) + g(x) − axf 0 (x) − xg 0 (x)

= a[f (x) − xf 0 (x)] + [g(x) − xg 0 (x)]

= aT (f (x)) + T (g(x)).

(b) Find a basis for the image of T .

Solution: We know that a generating set for the image of T is the image of the
standard basis of P2 (R). Thus

image(T ) = span({T (1), T (x), T (x2 )})

= span({1, x − x, x2 − 2x2 })

= span({1, −x2 }).

The vectors {1, −x2 } are clearly linearly independent, so it will also be a basis.

(c) Is T one-to-one? Is T onto? Justify your answer.

Solution: Since rank(T ) = 2 and dim(P2 (R)) = 3, T is clearly not onto. Fur-
thermore, the Dimension Theorem says the nullity(T ) = 1, so T is not one-to-one
either.

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3. (0 points) Let T : R3 → R3 be the linear transformation defined by

T (x, y, z) = (x + y, x − z, 2x + 3y + z) .

(a) Show T is linear.

(b) Find a basis for null(T ).

(c) Find a basis for image(T ).

(d) State the Dimension Theorem and verify that T satisfies it.

(e) Is T one-to-one? Onto? Explain.

4. (0 points) Let V and W be finite-dimensional vector spaces and T : V → W be

linear.
(a) Prove that if dim(V ) < dim(W ), then T cannot be onto.

Solution: Suppose dim(V ) < dim(W ), and assume (by means of contradiction) that
T is onto. Then image(T ) = W , and thus rank(T ) = dim(W ). By the dimensions
theorem, we know
dim(V ) = rank(T ) + nullity(T )

= dim(W ) + nullity(T )

Since dim(V ) < dim(W ), this implies nullity(T ) = dim(V ) − dim(W ) < 0, which is
a contradiction since nullity can not be negative. Thus T is NOT onto.

(b) Prove that if dim(V ) > dim(W ), then T cannot be one-to-one.

Solution: Similar argument to (a). See if you can get it.

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5. (0 points) Let T : V −→ W be a linear transformation. Prove the following
theorems.
(a) Theorem 2.1: The sets null(T ) and image(T ) are subspaces of V and W , respec-
tively.

(b) Theorem 2.2: Let β be a basis of V . Then the set {T (β)} is a generating set for
image(T ).

(c) Theorem 2.4: T is one-to-one if and only if null(T ) = {0}.

Solution: See your notes or textbook.

3 Matrix Representations and Change of Basis

6. (0 points) Consider the vector space V = P1 (R).
(a) Explain why you know that the set β = {1 + x, 1 − 2x} is a basis of V .

Solution: Since neither vector is a multiple of the other, β is linearly independent.

Since the dimension of V is 2, β is a basis.

(b) Determine [p(x)]β , where p(x) = 2x − 3 ∈ V .

! p(x) = 2x − 3 = (−4/3)(1 + x) + (−5/3)(1 − 2x). Therefore

Solution: Notice that
−4/3
[p(x)]β = .
−5/3

7. (0 points) Let T : P2 (R) −→ R2 be given by T (f (x)) = (f (0), f 0 (1)).

(a) Show that T is linear.

Solution: Let f (x), g(x) ∈ P2 (R) and c ∈ R. Then

T (cf (x) + g(x)) = (cf (0) + g(0), cf 0 (1) + g 0 (1))

= c(f (0), f 0 (1)) + (g(0), g 0 (1))

= cT (f (x)) + T (g(x)).

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(b) Determine the matrix of T with respect to the standard bases of P2 (R) and R2 .

Solution: First we recall that the standard basis of P2 (R) is β = {1, x, x2 } and that
the standard basis of R2 is γ = {(1, 0), (0, 1)}. Now we look at the image of each
element of the basis β under T .

T (1) = (1, 0), T (x) = (0, 1), and T (x2 ) = (0, 2).

Since we are using the standard basis of R2 the columns of our matrix are the vectors
we have just written. So our matrix is

!
1 0 0
[T ]γβ = .
0 1 2

8. (0 points) Let β and γ be the following standard ordered bases of M2×2 (R) and
P2 (R), respectively:
( ! ! ! !)
1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
β= , , , and γ = {1, x, x2 }.
0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1
Compute [T ]βγ if we define the linear transformation T : P2 (R) −→ M2×2 (R) by
!
f 0 (0) 2f (1)
T (f (x)) = .
0 f 00 (3)

!
0 2
Solution: First we see that T (1) = . So the first column of [T ]βγ is the coordi-
0 0
!
1 2
nate vector [T (1)]β = (0, 2, 0, 0). Next T (x) = . So the second column of [T ]βγ
0 0
!
0 2
is the coordinate vector [T (x)]β = (1, 2, 0, 0). Finally T (x2 ) = . So the third
0 2
column of [T ]βγ is the coordinate vector [T (x2 )]β = (0, 2, 0, 2). So in total we get
 
0 1 0
 2 2 2 
β
[T ]γ = 
 

 0 0 0 
0 0 2

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9. (0 points) Let V , W , and Z be vector spaces, and let T : V → W and U : W → Z
be linear transformations.
(a) Prove that if U ◦ T is one-to-one, then T is one-to-one.

Solution: Suppose U ◦ T is one-to-one. Then null(U ◦ T ) = {0}. What is null(T )?

Suppose x ∈ null(T ), then T (x) = 0 and (U ◦ T )(x) = U (T (x)) = U (0) = 0. So x

is in null(U ◦ T ) also. But 0 is the only thing in null(U ◦ T ), so x = 0, and we have
shown that null(T ) = {0}. Therefore T is one-to-one.

(b) Prove that if U ◦ T is onto, then U is onto.

Solution: Similar argument to (a). See if you can get it.

(c) Prove that if U and T are one-to-one and onto, then U ◦ T is also

Solution: Similar argument to (a). See if you can get it.

10. (0 points) Let T : R3 → R2 be the linear transformation defined by

T (x, y, z) = (x + y + z, x + 3y + 5z)

Let β and γ be the standard bases for R3 and R2 respectively. Also consider another
basis α = {(1, 1, 1), (2, 3, 4), (3, 4, 6)} for R3 .
(a) Compute the matrix representation [T ]γβ .

(b) Compute the matrix representation [T ]γα .

(c) Compute Q the change of coordinate matrix from β to α.

(d) Check that [T ]γα · Q = [T ]γβ .

(e) Let x = (1, 5, 7). What is [x]β ? Use this, together with Q, to find [x]α .

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Solution:
(a) Plugging basis β into T! and writing as a linear combination of the elements of γ, we
1 1 1
get [T ]γβ = .
1 3 5

(b) Plugging basis α into T and

! writing as a linear combination of the elements of γ, we
3 9 13
get [T ]γα = .
9 31 45

(c) To get the change of basis matrix, we must find the coordinate vectors of the elements
of β with respect to α:
     
2 0 −1
[(1, 0, 0)]α =  −2 , [(0, 1, 0)]α =  3 , and [(0, 0, 1)]α =  −1 .
     

1 −2 1
 
2 0 −1
Therefore the change of basis matrix is Q =  −2 3 −1  .
 

1 −2 1
 
! 2 0 −1 !
3 9 13 1 1 1
(d) [T ]γα · Q =  −2 3 −1  = = [T ]γβ .
 
9 31 45 1 3 5
1 −2 1
 
1
(e) x = (1, 5, 7) =⇒ [x]β =  5 
 

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    
2 0 −1 1 −5
=⇒ [x]α = Q · [x]β =  −2 3 −1   5  =  6 
    

1 −2 1 7 −2