[proofplan]
We first verify that the assignment does not depend on the representative of the projective class $[\ell]$ and that $\ker \ell$ is a codimension-one subspace of $V$. Then we prove injectivity by showing that two nonzero linear functionals with the same projectivized kernel have the same kernel, hence differ by a nonzero scalar. Finally, we prove surjectivity by constructing, from any codimension-one subspace $W \leq V$, a nonzero linear functional whose kernel is exactly $W$.
[/proofplan]
[step:Define the assignment and verify that its value is a projective hyperplane]
Define
\begin{align*}
\Phi: \mathbb{P}(V^*) \to \{\mathbb{P}(W) : W \leq V \text{ and } \dim_K W = \dim_K V - 1\}
\end{align*}
by
\begin{align*}
\Phi([\ell]) = \mathbb{P}(\ker \ell),
\end{align*}
where $\ell \in V^*$ is any nonzero representative of the projective class $[\ell]$.
If $\ell' = \lambda \ell$ for some $\lambda \in K^\times$, then
\begin{align*}
\ker \ell' = \{v \in V : \lambda \ell(v) = 0\} = \{v \in V : \ell(v) = 0\} = \ker \ell.
\end{align*}
Thus $\Phi([\ell])$ is independent of the chosen nonzero representative.
It remains in this step to check that $\mathbb{P}(\ker \ell)$ is a projective hyperplane. Since $\ell \neq 0$, choose $u \in V$ with $\ell(u) \neq 0$. For every $v \in V$, define
\begin{align*}
a_v = \frac{\ell(v)}{\ell(u)} \in K.
\end{align*}
Then $v - a_v u \in \ker \ell$, because
\begin{align*}
\ell(v - a_v u) = \ell(v) - a_v \ell(u) = 0.
\end{align*}
Hence every $v \in V$ has a decomposition
\begin{align*}
v = (v - a_v u) + a_v u
\end{align*}
with $v - a_v u \in \ker \ell$ and $a_v u \in Ku$. Also $\ker \ell \cap Ku = \{0\}$, since if $bu \in \ker \ell$, then
\begin{align*}
0 = \ell(bu) = b\ell(u),
\end{align*}
and $\ell(u) \neq 0$ implies $b = 0$. Therefore
\begin{align*}
V = \ker \ell \oplus Ku.
\end{align*}
Since $Ku$ is one-dimensional, $\dim_K \ker \ell = \dim_K V - 1$. Thus $\mathbb{P}(\ker \ell)$ is a projective hyperplane in $\mathbb{P}(V)$.
[guided]
We must check two things before discussing bijectivity. First, the formula must not depend on the representative of the point $[\ell] \in \mathbb{P}(V^*)$. By the quotient description of [projective space](/page/Projective%20Space) in [citetheorem:9466], two nonzero functionals $\ell,\ell' \in V^*$ represent the same point precisely when $\ell' = \lambda \ell$ for some $\lambda \in K^\times$. For such a scalar $\lambda$, we have
\begin{align*}
\ker \ell' = \{v \in V : \ell'(v) = 0\} = \{v \in V : \lambda \ell(v) = 0\}.
\end{align*}
Because $\lambda \neq 0$, the equation $\lambda \ell(v) = 0$ is equivalent to $\ell(v) = 0$. Hence
\begin{align*}
\ker \ell' = \ker \ell.
\end{align*}
So $\Phi([\ell]) = \mathbb{P}(\ker \ell)$ is independent of the representative.
Second, we must show that $\ker \ell$ has codimension one. Since $\ell$ is nonzero as an element of $V^*$, there exists $u \in V$ such that $\ell(u) \neq 0$. For each $v \in V$, define the scalar
\begin{align*}
a_v = \frac{\ell(v)}{\ell(u)}.
\end{align*}
Then
\begin{align*}
\ell(v - a_v u) = \ell(v) - a_v \ell(u) = \ell(v) - \ell(v) = 0.
\end{align*}
Thus $v - a_v u \in \ker \ell$, and consequently
\begin{align*}
v = (v - a_v u) + a_v u
\end{align*}
is a sum of an element of $\ker \ell$ and an element of the one-dimensional subspace $Ku$. The sum is direct: if $bu \in \ker \ell$ for some $b \in K$, then
\begin{align*}
0 = \ell(bu) = b\ell(u).
\end{align*}
Since $\ell(u) \neq 0$, this forces $b = 0$, so $\ker \ell \cap Ku = \{0\}$. Therefore
\begin{align*}
V = \ker \ell \oplus Ku.
\end{align*}
The subspace $Ku$ has dimension $1$, so $\ker \ell$ has dimension $\dim_K V - 1$. Therefore $\mathbb{P}(\ker \ell)$ is exactly a projective hyperplane under the stated convention that projective hyperplanes are projectivizations of codimension-one linear subspaces.
[/guided]
[/step]
[step:Show that equal projectivized kernels force proportional functionals]
Let $[\ell],[m] \in \mathbb{P}(V^*)$ and suppose
\begin{align*}
\Phi([\ell]) = \Phi([m]).
\end{align*}
Then
\begin{align*}
\mathbb{P}(\ker \ell) = \mathbb{P}(\ker m).
\end{align*}
Since $\dim_K V \geq 2$ and each kernel has dimension $\dim_K V - 1$, both $\ker \ell$ and $\ker m$ are nonzero subspaces. We claim that $\ker \ell = \ker m$.
If $v \in \ker \ell$ and $v \neq 0$, then $[v] \in \mathbb{P}(\ker \ell) = \mathbb{P}(\ker m)$, so there are $w \in \ker m \setminus \{0\}$ and $\lambda \in K^\times$ such that $v = \lambda w$. Hence $v \in \ker m$. Since $0 \in \ker m$, this proves $\ker \ell \subset \ker m$. Interchanging $\ell$ and $m$ gives $\ker m \subset \ker \ell$, so
\begin{align*}
\ker \ell = \ker m.
\end{align*}
Choose $u \in V$ with $\ell(u) \neq 0$. Since $\ker \ell = \ker m$, this $u$ is not in $\ker m$, so $m(u) \neq 0$. Define
\begin{align*}
c = \frac{m(u)}{\ell(u)} \in K^\times.
\end{align*}
For any $v \in V$, define
\begin{align*}
a_v = \frac{\ell(v)}{\ell(u)} \in K.
\end{align*}
Then $v - a_v u \in \ker \ell = \ker m$, and hence
\begin{align*}
m(v) = m(a_v u) = a_v m(u) = \frac{\ell(v)}{\ell(u)}m(u) = c\ell(v).
\end{align*}
Therefore $m = c\ell$, with $c \in K^\times$, so $[m] = [\ell]$ in $\mathbb{P}(V^*)$. Thus $\Phi$ is injective.
[/step]
[step:Construct a functional with a prescribed codimension-one kernel]
Let $\mathbb{P}(W)$ be a projective hyperplane in $\mathbb{P}(V)$. By definition of the target set, $W \leq V$ and
\begin{align*}
\dim_K W = \dim_K V - 1.
\end{align*}
Choose a basis $(w_1,\ldots,w_{n-1})$ of $W$, where $n = \dim_K V$. Since $\dim_K W = n - 1$, extend this basis to a basis $(w_1,\ldots,w_{n-1},u)$ of $V$.
Define a [linear map](/page/Linear%20Map)
\begin{align*}
\ell: V \to K
\end{align*}
by prescribing its values on this basis:
\begin{align*}
\ell(w_i) = 0 \text{ for } 1 \leq i \leq n - 1, \qquad \ell(u) = 1.
\end{align*}
The basis prescription determines a unique $K$-linear functional $\ell \in V^*$. Since $\ell(u) = 1$, we have $\ell \neq 0$. Also $W \subset \ker \ell$ by construction. Conversely, if $v \in \ker \ell$, write uniquely
\begin{align*}
v = a_1w_1 + \cdots + a_{n-1}w_{n-1} + bu
\end{align*}
with $a_1,\ldots,a_{n-1},b \in K$. Applying $\ell$ gives
\begin{align*}
0 = \ell(v) = b.
\end{align*}
Hence $v \in W$. Therefore $\ker \ell = W$, and so
\begin{align*}
\Phi([\ell]) = \mathbb{P}(\ker \ell) = \mathbb{P}(W).
\end{align*}
Thus $\Phi$ is surjective.
[guided]
We now start with an arbitrary projective hyperplane and build the point of the dual projective space that maps to it. Let $\mathbb{P}(W)$ be a projective hyperplane. This means that $W$ is a linear subspace of $V$ of codimension one, so if $n = \dim_K V$, then
\begin{align*}
\dim_K W = n - 1.
\end{align*}
Choose a basis $(w_1,\ldots,w_{n-1})$ of $W$. Since $V$ has dimension $n$, this basis can be extended to a basis $(w_1,\ldots,w_{n-1},u)$ of $V$ for some vector $u \in V$. The idea is to define a linear functional that vanishes on the hyperplane direction $W$ and is nonzero in the one remaining direction.
Define
\begin{align*}
\ell: V \to K
\end{align*}
by requiring
\begin{align*}
\ell(w_i) = 0 \text{ for } 1 \leq i \leq n - 1, \qquad \ell(u) = 1.
\end{align*}
A function defined on a basis extends uniquely to a linear map on the whole [vector space](/page/Vector%20Space), so this prescription defines a unique element $\ell \in V^*$. Because $\ell(u) = 1$, the functional is nonzero, and hence $[\ell]$ is a valid point of $\mathbb{P}(V^*)$.
We verify that its kernel is exactly $W$. First, each basis vector $w_i$ of $W$ satisfies $\ell(w_i) = 0$, so every linear combination of the $w_i$ also lies in $\ker \ell$. Thus
\begin{align*}
W \subset \ker \ell.
\end{align*}
For the reverse inclusion, let $v \in \ker \ell$. Since $(w_1,\ldots,w_{n-1},u)$ is a basis of $V$, there are unique scalars $a_1,\ldots,a_{n-1},b \in K$ such that
\begin{align*}
v = a_1w_1 + \cdots + a_{n-1}w_{n-1} + bu.
\end{align*}
Applying $\ell$ and using linearity gives
\begin{align*}
0 = \ell(v) = a_1\ell(w_1) + \cdots + a_{n-1}\ell(w_{n-1}) + b\ell(u) = b.
\end{align*}
Therefore
\begin{align*}
v = a_1w_1 + \cdots + a_{n-1}w_{n-1} \in W.
\end{align*}
So $\ker \ell \subset W$, and hence $\ker \ell = W$. Consequently
\begin{align*}
\Phi([\ell]) = \mathbb{P}(\ker \ell) = \mathbb{P}(W).
\end{align*}
Because the hyperplane $\mathbb{P}(W)$ was arbitrary, every projective hyperplane lies in the image of $\Phi$.
[/guided]
[/step]
[step:Conclude that the correspondence is a bijection]
The previous steps show that $\Phi$ is well-defined, injective, and surjective. Therefore
\begin{align*}
\Phi: \mathbb{P}(V^*) \to \{\mathbb{P}(W) : W \leq V \text{ and } \dim_K W = \dim_K V - 1\}
\end{align*}
is a bijection. Equivalently, projective hyperplanes in $\mathbb{P}(V)$ are naturally parametrized by points of the dual projective space $\mathbb{P}(V^*)$.
[/step]