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Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization (Algorithm)

Any set of linearly independent vectors $ v_1,\ldots,v_n$ can be converted into a set of orthogonal vectors $ q_1,\ldots,q_n$ by the Gram-Schmidt process. In three dimensions, $ v_1$ determines a line; the vectors $ v_1$ and $ v_2$ determine a plane. The vector $ q_1$ is the unit vector in the direction $ v_1$. The (unit) vector $ q_2$ lies in the plane of $ v_1, v_2$, and is normal to $ v_1$ (on the same side as $ v_2$. The (unit) vector $ q_3$ is normal to the plane of $ v_1, v_2$, on the same side as $ v_3$, etc.

In general, first set $ u_1 = v_1$, and then each $ u_i$ is made orthogonal to the preceding $ u_1,\ldots u_{i-1}$ by subtraction of the projections of $ v_i$ in the directions of $ u_1,\ldots,u_{i-1}$ :

$\displaystyle u_i = v_i - \sum_{j=1}^{i-1} \frac{u_j^Tv_i}{u_j^Tu_j} u_j$

The $ i$ vectors $ u_i$ span the same subspace as the $ v_i$. The vectors $ q_i=u_i/\vert\vert u_i\vert\vert$ are orthonormal. This leads to the following theorem:

Theorem.

Any $ m \times n$ matrix $ A$ with linearly independent columns can be factorized into a product, $ A = QR$. The columns of $ Q$ are orthonormal and $ R$ is upper triangular and invertible.

This “classical” Gram-Schmidt method is often numerically unstable, see [Golub89] for a “modified” Gram-Schmidt method.

References

Golub89
Gene H. Golub and Charles F. van Loan: Matrix Computations, 2nd edn., The John Hopkins University Press, 1989.



"Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization" is owned by akrowne.
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See Also: Householder transformation, Givens rotation, QR decomposition, an example for Schur decomposition

Other names:  Gram-Schmidt decomposition, Gram-Schmidt orthonormalization, Gram-Schmidt process

Attachments:
example of Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization (Example) by drini
proof of Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization procedure (Proof) by rspuzio
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Cross-references: unstable, Gram-Schmidt, invertible, upper triangular, product, columns, matrix, orthonormal, subspace, span, projections, subtraction, orthogonal, side, normal, unit, unit vector, plane, line, dimensions, orthogonal vectors, vectors, linearly independent
There are 7 references to this entry.

This is version 5 of Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization, born on 2002-01-04, modified 2007-02-14.
Object id is 1216, canonical name is GramSchmidtOrthogonalization.
Accessed 59838 times total.

Classification:
AMS MSC: 65F25 (Numerical analysis :: Numerical linear algebra :: Orthogonalization)
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