![[sol-5.pdf#page=27]]
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$\textbf{Exercise 13.}$ Show that the dual map of the identity operator on $V$ is the identity operator on $V^*$.
$\textbf{Solution 13.}$ Let $I$ denote the identity operator on $V$. For $\varphi \in V^*$ we have
$\begin{equation*}
I^*(\varphi) = \varphi \circ I = \varphi.
\end{equation*}$
Thus $I^*$ is the identity operator on $V^*$.
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$\textbf{Exercise 13.}$ Show that the dual map of the identity operator on $V$ is the identity operator on $V^*$.
$\textbf{Solution 13.}$ Let $I$ denote the identity operator on $V$. For $\varphi \in V^*$ we have
$\begin{equation*}
I^*(\varphi) = \varphi \circ I = \varphi.
\end{equation*}$
Thus $I^*$ is the identity operator on $V^*$.
$\textit{Commentary:}$ This exercise demonstrates that the dual operation preserves the identity map.
In other words, taking the dual of the identity map on a vector space $V$ yields the identity map on the dual space $V^*$.
The proof is a one-liner using the definition of the dual map.
This result is a special case of a more general property: the dual operation reverses the order of composition of linear maps. This property is encapsulated in the contravariance of the dual functor in category theory.
$\textit{Example:}$ Let $V = \mathbb{R}^2$ and $I: \mathbb{R}^2 \to \mathbb{R}^2$ be the identity map. For any $\varphi = (a, b) \in (\mathbb{R}^2)^*$, we have
$\begin{align*}
I^*(\varphi)(x, y) &= \varphi(I(x, y)) \\
&= \varphi(x, y) \\
&= ax + by \\
&= \varphi(x, y).
\end{align*}$
Thus $I^*(\varphi) = \varphi$ for all $\varphi \in (\mathbb{R}^2)^*$, so $I^*$ is the identity map on $(\mathbb{R}^2)^*$.