Practical linear algebra. A geometry toolbox

Publication date 16 September 2013

\(LU\)-factorization affine map algorithm computational geometry computer graphics determinant eigenvalue eigenvector fitting Bézier curve image compression least squares nonnegative matrix page ranking power method singular value decomposition triangulation of a surface vector geometry

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Introductory exposition (textbooks, tutorial papers, etc.) pertaining to linear algebra (15-01) Conditioning of matrices (15A12) Determinants, permanents, traces, other special matrix functions (15A15) Eigenvalues, singular values, and eigenvectors (15A18) Computer-aided design (modeling of curves and surfaces) (65D17) Numerical aspects of computer graphics, image analysis, and computational geometry (65D18) Direct numerical methods for linear systems and matrix inversion (65F05) Numerical computation of eigenvalues and eigenvectors of matrices (65F15) Numerical solutions to overdetermined systems, pseudoinverses (65F20) Searching and sorting (68P10)

Review text

The original edition of this book appeared in 2004 and was reviewed in [Zbl 1064.15001]. The current edition appears to be about 25\% longer than the first, but the general comments on the earlier edition remain true. The first half of the book describes vector geometry in two and three dimensions over \(\mathbb{R}\), well-illustrated with graphics and hand-drawn sketches. Determinants are introduced as signed areas or volumes, affine maps are defined and described geometrically, eigenvalues and eigenvectors computed for \(2\times2\) matrices, and various forms of matrices such as rotations and shears are described. The next quarter of the book considers spaces of more general dimensions (still over \(\mathbb{R}\)) and describes algorithms such as \(LU\)-factorization, iterative solution of systems of linear equations, the power method to find the largest eigenvalue of a nonnegative matrix, and the singular value decomposition (SVD) with applications to least squares. The last quarter of the book discusses the classification of conics and topics in computational geometry such as triangulation of a surface and fitting Bézier curves. In the second half of the book, there are some good descriptions of how linear algebra is applied. In the reviewer's opinion the more successful of these are: determining light and shading of surfaces in computer graphics, page ranking by Google using eigenvector computations, and image compression using SVD; each of these sections explains the application and gives a reasonable outline of what mathematics is involved.NEWLINENEWLINEThe authors claim: ``[By replacing] mathematical proofs with motivations, examples, or graphics \dots the book covers all of undergraduate-level algebra in the classical sense. Unfortunately, the attempt at a wide coverage and the informal style means that some concepts introduced, particularly in the later parts of the book, are imprecise, and some assertions leave a suspicion that the authors may not be clear about the underlying mathematics themselves. For example, the statements that ``repeated eigenvalues reduce the number of eigenvectors (p. 327), (nonparallel) eigenvectors of a (real) symmetric matrix are always orthogonal (p. 137), and that the eigenvalues of a (real) symmetric \(2\times2\) matrix with positive determinant are both positive (p. 456) will confuse a thoughtful student who considers the matrix \(-I\). In the reviewer's opinion, this book would not be a good choice for mathematics majors, but might well be useful for a class (such as students in computer graphics) whose primary interest is an intuitive working knowledge of vector geometry in low dimensions.

Recommendations

Cited in

(5)

Describes a project that uses

Uses Software

Mathematica

This page was built for publication: Practical linear algebra. A geometry toolbox

Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q2849184)