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How do you compute the matrix for the composition of two linear transformations A and B?

To compute the matrix for the composition A∘BA \circ B, apply the transformation AA to each column of the matrix BB. The resulting vectors form the columns of the matrix A∘BA \circ B. This generalizes the method of finding a transformation matrix by applying it to standard basis vectors.

Conditions

  • A and B are both 3x3 matrices.
  • The operation is performed over the real numbers.
  • These are real linear maps with compatible input and output spaces, represented using standard column-vector coordinates.

Reasoning, step by step

  1. Identify the columns of matrix B as input vectors.
  2. Apply the transformation A to the first column of B to get the first column of the result.
  3. Apply the transformation A to the second column of B to get the second column of the result.
  4. Apply the transformation A to the third column of B to get the third column of the result.
  5. Combine these resulting vectors as columns to form the matrix A∘BA \circ B.

Example

Given A=[−300−3−2−4331]A = \begin{bmatrix} -3 & 0 & 0 \\ -3 & -2 & -4 \\ 3 & 3 & 1 \end{bmatrix} and B=[−20−2−32423−4]B = \begin{bmatrix} -2 & 0 & -2 \\ -3 & 2 & 4 \\ 2 & 3 & -4 \end{bmatrix}, to find the second column of A∘BA \circ B, compute A[023]A \begin{bmatrix} 0 \\ 2 \\ 3 \end{bmatrix}. This is a linear combination of the columns of A: 0⋅[−3−33]+2⋅[0−23]+3⋅[0−41]=[0−169]0 \cdot \begin{bmatrix} -3 \\ -3 \\ 3 \end{bmatrix} + 2 \cdot \begin{bmatrix} 0 \\ -2 \\ 3 \end{bmatrix} + 3 \cdot \begin{bmatrix} 0 \\ -4 \\ 1 \end{bmatrix} = \begin{bmatrix} 0 \\ -16 \\ 9 \end{bmatrix}.

Common misconceptions

  • Thinking that A∘BA \circ B means applying A first and then B.
  • Believing that you multiply rows of A by columns of B in a way that ignores the geometric interpretation of transforming basis vectors or input columns.

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