Math 2.0

Geometry Definition

Projective transformation

Builds on Projective spaceInvertible matrixGeneral linear group

Definition

Let VV and WW be vector spaces of the same finite dimension over a field kk. Let ℙ(V)\mathbb{P}(V) and ℙ(W)\mathbb{P}(W) be their projective spaces. For a nonzero vector vv, write [v][v] for the point spanned by vv. A projective transformation (or homography) from ℙ(V)\mathbb{P}(V) to ℙ(W)\mathbb{P}(W) is a map of the form [v]↦[Tv],[v] \mapsto [T v], where T ⁣:V→WT \colon V \to W is an invertible linear map.

Remarks

The map is well defined, since T(λv)=λTvT(\lambda v) = \lambda T v, and it is a bijection. In coordinates, a projective transformation of ℙn(k)\mathbb{P}^n(k) is [x]↦[Ax][x] \mapsto [A x] for an invertible matrix AA of size n+1n + 1. Two matrices give the same map exactly when they differ by a nonzero scalar factor. So the projective transformations of ℙn(k)\mathbb{P}^n(k) form the group PGL(n+1,k)=GL(n+1,k)/k×\mathrm{PGL}(n + 1, k) = \mathrm{GL}(n + 1, k) / k^{\times}, a quotient of the general linear group.

Example: on ℙ1(ℂ)\mathbb{P}^1(\C), with z=x0/x1z = x_0 / x_1, the matrix (abcd)\begin{pmatrix} a & b \\ c & d \end{pmatrix} with ad−bc≠0ad - bc \ne 0 gives z↦(az+b)/(cz+d)z \mapsto (az + b)/(cz + d). Check: [x0:x1]↦[ax0+bx1:cx0+dx1][x_0 : x_1] \mapsto [a x_0 + b x_1 : c x_0 + d x_1], and dividing gives (az+b)/(cz+d)(az + b)/(cz + d).

Non-example: on ℙ2(ℂ)\mathbb{P}^2(\C) the map [x0:x1:x2]↦[xˉ0:xˉ1:xˉ2][x_0 : x_1 : x_2] \mapsto [\bar x_0 : \bar x_1 : \bar x_2] is a bijection that maps lines to lines, but it is not a projective transformation. It fixes the four points [1:0:0][1:0:0], [0:1:0][0:1:0], [0:0:1][0:0:1], [1:1:1][1:1:1] without being the identity. A projective transformation of the plane that fixes four points in general position is the identity, so this map is not one.

Every projective transformation maps projective subspaces to projective subspaces of the same dimension and preserves the cross-ratio.

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  1. General linear group object
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Further reading

  1. Web https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homography
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Kinddefinition
WritingW0 stub
MSC51N15, 51A10
DefinesProjective transformation
UsesProjective space, Invertible matrix, General linear group

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