Math 115 Lab 8 Solutions

1. Find a basis for S where

3
1
1
1
1

3
2
1
2
, , , , 4
S = span

1
2
1
0
2

3
1
1
1
1
Answer: A quick way to find a
For this problem

1
3

2
1

basis for S is to place the vectors in a matrix A and find the RREF.
1
2
1
1

1
1
0
1

1
2
2
1

1
3
0
4
RREF

0
1
0
3

0 1
1 2
0 0
0 0

0 2
0 5

1 0
0 0

Then the independent vectors that span S are the corresponding columns where the leading ones
appear. Thus a basis of S consists of the first, second and fourth column of the set

1
1
1

2
3
, , 2
B=
2 1 2

1
1
1
2. Let the subset Q = {p(x) = a + bx + cx2 : p(0) = 0} of P2 .
(a) Prove that Q is a subspace of P2 .
Answer: Let p(x) = a1 + b1 x + c1 x2 and q(x) = a2 + b2 x + c2 x2 in Q. Hence, a1 = p(0) = 0 and
a2 = p(0) = 0. Then
(p + q)(x) = p(x) + q(x) = (a1 + a2 ) + (b1 + b2 )x + (c1 + c2 )x2
with (p + q)(0) = p(0) + q(0) = a1 + a2 = 0. Thus (p + q)(x) is in Q.
Let p(x) = a + bx + cx2 in Q and a scalar k R. Then
(kp)(x) = kp(x) = k(a + bx + cx2 ) = (ka) + (kb)x + (kc)x2
with (kp)(0) = kp(0) = ka = 0.
Finally, the zero polynomial satisfies p(0) = 0.
Therefore Q is a linear subspace of P2 .
(b) Find a basis for the subspace Q.
Answer: Let p(x) = a + bx + cx2 in Q. Then a = p(0) = 0, hence p(x) = bx + cx2 . Thus the set
{x, x2 } spans Q. Moreover it is a linearly independent set, thus it defines a basis for Q.
3. Let H be the subset of the skew-symmetric 2 2 matrices.
(a) Prove that H is a subspace of M22 .
Answer: Let A, B be skew-symmetric, thus AT = A and B T = B. Therefore
(A + B)T = AT + B T = A B = (A + B),
thus A + B is also skew symmetric.
Let A be a skew-symmetric matrix and k R. Then
(kA)T = k(AT ) = k(A) = (kA),
hence kA is also skew-symmetric.
Finally, the zero matrix 0 is also skew-symmetric since 0T = 0.
Therefore the subset of skew-symmetric matrices is a subspace.

(b) Find a basis for this subspace.

Answer: Let a skew-symmetric matrix A =



a b
. Then
c d

a = a,


 

b = c,
a c
a b
AT = A
=

b d
c d

c = b,

d = d

a = 0,

b R,

c = b,

d = 0.

Hence every 2 2 skew-symmetric matrix can be written as


 



0 b
0 b
0 1
A=
=
=b
.
c d
b 0
1 0


0 1
Therefore the matrix
spans the subspace of the skew-symmetric matrices. Hence the set
1 0


0 1
forms a basis.
1 0
4. Prove that the set {1 + 2x2 , 1 x} is an independent set of vectors in P2 and P3 . Extend it to a basis
of P3 .
Answer: Let a, b R such that
a(1 + 2x) + b(1 x) = 0,
where 0 is the zero polynomial. Then

a + b = 0,
2
2
a + 2ax + b bx = 0 (a + b) bx + 2ax = 0 b = 0,

2a = 0

a = b = 0.

Thus the set is independent in P2 and in P3 .

First we will extend to a basis of P2 . We know that {1, x, x2 } is the standard basis for P2 and we note
that {1, 1 + 2x2 , 1 x} is independent. Indeed, let a, b, c R such that

a + b + c = 0,
a = b = c = 0.
a1 + b(1 + 2x2 ) + c(1 x) = 0 (a + b + c) cx + 2bx2 = 0 c = 0,

2b = 0
Moreover, it spans every element in P2 since,
x = 1 + 0(1 + 2x2 ) (1 x),
1
1
x2 = 1 + (1 + 2x2 ) + 0(1 x).
2
2
(Alternatively, we can say that the subspace span{1, 1 + 2x2 , 1 x} has dimension 3 and it is a subspace
of P2 which also has dimension 3. Therefore span{1, 1 + 2x2 , 1 x} = P2 .)
Finally, the set {1, 1 + 2x2 , 1 x} extends to the basis {1, 1 + 2x2 , 1 x, x3 } of P3 .
5. In each case either prove the assertion or give a counterexample showing that it is false
(a) Every set of four non-zero polynomials in P3 is a basis for P3 .
Answer: No. Pick your favourite
polynomial p(x) in P3 (for example p(x) = x and let the four
polynomials p1 (x) = p(x), p2 (x) = 2p(x), p3 (x) = 1821p(x), p4 (x) = p(x). Then
1
1
1
1 p1 (x) p2 (x) +
p3 (x) p4 (x) = p(x) p(x) + p(x) p(x) = 0.
1821

2
(b) P2 has a basis of polynomials p(x) such that p(0) = 1.
Answer: Yes. We have shown that the set {1, 1 + x, 1 + x + x2 } forms a basis for P2 and these
polynomials satisfy p(x) = 1.

(c) If {~u, ~v , w}
~ is independent then a ~u + b ~v + c w
~ = ~0 for some a, b, c.
Answer: Yes. If we let a = b = c = 0 then 0 u + 0 v + 0 w = 0.
(d) The set {~u, ~v , w}
~ is independent if a ~u + b ~v + c w
~ = ~0 for some a, b, c.
Answer: No. Let ~u, ~v , w
~ with ~v = 2~u, w
~ = 3~u; then for a = 2, b = 1 and c = 0 we compute
a ~u + b ~v + c w
~ = 2~u ~v = ~0,
but {~u, ~v , w}
~ = {~u, 2~u, 3~u} is not independent.
(e) If {~u, ~v } is independent, then {~u, ~v , ~u + ~v } is independent.
Answer: No. Let a, b, c R such that
a ~u + b ~v + c(~u + ~v ) = ~0.
Then
(a + c) ~u + (b + c) ~v = ~0.
Since {~u, ~v } is independent, then (a + c) = 0 and (b + c) = 0. Hence a = c, b = c and there is
no restriction on c. So if we choose a = b = 1 and c = 1 we see that the set {~u, ~v , ~u + ~v } is not
independent.
(f) If {~u, ~v , w}
~ is independent then {~u + w,
~ ~v + w}
~ is independent.
Answer: Yes. Let a, b R such that
a (~u + w)
~ + b (~v + w)
~ = ~0.
Then
a ~u + a w
~ + b ~v + b w
~ = ~0 a ~u + b ~v + (a + b) w
~ = ~0.
Since {~u, ~v , w}
~ is independent we get that a = b = a + b = 0, hence a = b = 0. So {~u + w,
~ ~v + w}
~
is independent.