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How is a 3D linear transformation matrix constructed from the transformed standard basis vectors?

A 3D linear transformation is fully determined by tracking where the standard basis vectors (i^\hat{i}, j^\hat{j}, and k^\hat{k}) land. The coordinates of these three transformed vectors are recorded as column vectors to form a 3x3 matrix.

Conditions

  • Working in three-dimensional Cartesian space
  • Using the standard basis vectors aligned with x, y, and z axes
  • The transformation is linear (preserves grid lines parallel/evenly spaced and fixes origin)

Reasoning, step by step

  1. Identify the initial positions of the standard basis vectors: i^=(1,0,0)\hat{i}=(1,0,0), j^=(0,1,0)\hat{j}=(0,1,0), and k^=(0,0,1)\hat{k}=(0,0,1).
  2. Apply the linear transformation to observe the new landing coordinates for each vector.
  3. Record the final coordinate triplet of the transformed i^\hat{i} as the first column of the matrix.
  4. Record the final coordinate triplet of the transformed j^\hat{j} as the second column of the matrix.
  5. Record the final coordinate triplet of the transformed k^\hat{k} as the third column of the matrix.

Example

If a transformation maps i^\hat{i} to (0,0,−1)(0,0,-1), j^\hat{j} to (0,1,0)(0,1,0), and k^\hat{k} to (1,0,0)(1,0,0), the resulting matrix is [001010−100]\begin{bmatrix} 0 & 0 & 1 \\ 0 & 1 & 0 \\ -1 & 0 & 0 \end{bmatrix}.

Common misconceptions

  • Believing that all nine numbers in the matrix must be tracked individually without reference to basis vectors.
  • Confusing rows and columns when recording the transformed coordinates.

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