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Linear Transformations
Prerequisites
None
Learning Objectives
- Give the formula for a linear transformation
- Determine whether a transformation is linear
- Describe what is linear about a linear transformation
Often it is necessary to transform data from
one measurement scale to another. For example, you might want
to convert height measured in feet to height measured in inches.
To transform feet to inches, you simply multiply by 12.
Some conversions require that you multiply by a
number and then add a second number. A good example of this is
the transformation between degrees Centigrade and degrees Fahrenheit.
The formula to transform Centigrade to Fahrenheit is:
F = 1.8C + 32
Figure 1 shows a plot of degrees Centigrade as a
function of degrees Fahrenheit. Notice that the points form a
straight line. This will always be the case if the transformation
from one scale to another consists of multiplying by one constant
and then adding a second constant. Such transformations are therefore
called linear
transformations.
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