Week 2
Math 4377 and 6308
1.3: Subspaces
Definition: A subset π of a vector space π over a field πΉ is
called a subspace of π if and only if π is a vector space over πΉ
with the operations of addition and scalar multiplication defined
on π.
Special Subspaces of a vector space π½ over π: π and {0β }
(the so-call zero subspace of π, or the trivial subspace of π).
Remark: Itβs not as big a pain as you might think to prove that a
subset of a vector space π over a field πΉ is a subspace of π.
Why?
Several vector space properties are automatically satisfied
because π is contained in π. More precisely, (VS1),
(VS2), (VS5), (VS6), (VS7) and (VS8) will automatically
hold because π is contained in a vector space.
We only have to prove
1. closure under vector addition,
2. closure under scalar multiplication,
3. π contains a zero vector (we can do this by showing
the zero vector in π is in π),
4. each vector in π has an additive inverse in π.
It turns out that (4) follows automatically from (2) since the
additive inverse of any vector π€ in π is (β1)π€.
Theorem 1.3: Let π be a vector space over a field πΉ, and
suppose π is a subset of π. Then π is a subspace of π if and
only if
The zero vector in π is in π.
π is closed under vector addition inherited from π. i.e. if
π₯, π¦ β π, then π₯ + π¦ β π.
π is closed under scalar addition inherited from π. i.e. if
π₯ β π, and π β πΉ then ππ₯ β π.
Remark: The theorem above not only provides a simple
mechanism for proving that a subset of a vector space is a
subspace, it also gives a simple mechanism for proving that a set
is a vector space, provided the set is contained in another vector
space.
Subspaces of πΉπ:
Subspaces of πΉπ:
Note: MANY vector spaces are given in Section 1.2. We will
take advantage of this information to prove that other sets are
vector spaces (by simply showing that they are subspaces of
known vector spaces).
The book gives many examples using a general field π. I will
primarily focus on πΉ, although everything will still be true
with an arbitrary field π.
Example 1: πΆ(π )
Example 2: πΆ1(π )
Example 3: The set of real invertible matrices IS NOT a
subspace of π2Γ2(π ).
Example 4: If π is a natural number, then the set of real
matrices with trace 0 is a subspace of ππΓπ(π ).
Example 5: The set π = {π β πΆ(π )| π(0) = 0} is a subspace of
πΆ(π ).
Example 6: (this is also Theorem 1.4 in the text) If π is a vector
space over a field πΉ, and π and π are subspaces of π, then
π β© π is a subspace of π.
Example 7: If π is a vector space over a field πΉ, and π and π
are subspaces of π, then π βͺ π is a subspace of π if and only if
either π β π or π β π.
Section 1.4: Linear Combination and Systems of Linear
Equations
Definition: Let π be a vector space over a field πΉ, and suppose
π is a nonempty subset of π. A vector π£ β π is said to be a linear
combination of vectors in π if and only if there are finitely many
vectors π’1, β¦ , π’π β π and scalars π1, β¦ , ππ β πΉ so that
π£ = π1π’1 + β―+ π1π’π
In this case, the vector π£ is also said to be a linear combination
of the vectors π’1, β¦ , π’π, and we call the scalars π1, β¦ , ππ the
coefficients (or weights) associated with the linear combination.
Remark: Suppose π is a vector space over a field πΉ, and
suppose π is a nonempty subset of π. Then every vector in π is a
linear combination of vectors in π, and the zero vector 0β in π is
a linear combination of vectors in π.
Example 1: Determine whether (2, β1,3) is a linear
combination of {(β2,1,4), (4, β2, β1)}.
Example 2: Find (if possible) a value of β so that 2π₯2 + βπ₯ β 1
is a linear combination of π₯2 + 4π₯ + 2 and β3π₯2 + 2π₯ β 4.
Example 3: Determine whether every element in π2Γ2(π ) can
be written as a linear combination of vectors in the set
π = {(1 00 0
) , (1 00 1
) , (0 β11 0
) , (0 10 1
)}
Definition: Suppose π is a vector space over a field πΉ, and
suppose π is a nonempty subset of π. The span of π, denoted
span(π), is the set of all linear combinations of the vectors in π.
For convenience, we define the span of the empty set to be {0β }.
Example 4: Write the set {(π β ππ + π
2π + 3π) | π, π β π } as the span of
2 vectors in π 3.
Example 5: Describe span((1,2)) in π 2.
Theorem 1.5: Suppose π is a vector space over a field πΉ, and
suppose π is a subset of π. Then span(π) is a subspace of π.
Note: This is great tool for proving that a set is a vector space.
Example 6: Show that π = {ππ₯3 β ππ₯ | π, π β π } is a subspace
of π(π ) by showing that π can we written as a span of vectors
in π(π ).
Example 7: Show that the set {(π β ππ + π
2π + 3π) | π, π β π } is a
subspace of π 3.
Example 8: Show that the set of 2 Γ 2 real matrices with trace 0
is a subspace of π2Γ2(π ), by showing that it is the span of a set
of matrices in π2Γ2(π ).
Definition: A subset π of a vector space π generates (or spans)
π if and only if π = span(π). In this case, we also say that the
vectors of π generate (or span) π.
Example 9: Show that the set {(1,0), (0,1)} spans π 2.
Example 10: Determine whether the set
π = {(1 00 1
) , (2 00 1
) , (0 11 0
)}
spans the subspace of π2Γ2(π ) consisting of all symmetric
matrices.
Remark: The text discusses the idea of solving a system of
linear equations in the context of determining whether a vector
is a linear combination of a set of vectors. I will assume you are
capable of solving systems of linear equations. Please review
this material and see the discussion in section 1.4.