Finishing up with polynomials Subspaces Spans are subspaces

MATH 4A - Linear Algebra with Applications

Lecture 15: Subspaces

3 May 2019

Reading: §4.1-4.2
Recommended problems from §4.1: 1-33, odd numbered exercises
Finishing up with polynomials Subspaces Spans are subspaces

Lecture plan

1 Finishing up with polynomials

2 Subspaces

3 Spans are subspaces

Finishing up with polynomials Subspaces Spans are subspaces

A vector space V (over R) is a nonempty set of objects (called vectors)

together with two operations: addition of vectors, and scalar
multiplication. These operations must satisfy the following ten rules (or
“axioms”): for all vectors u, v, w in V and for all scalars c, d in R:
1 The sum u + v is in V
2 u+v =v+u
3 (u + v) + w = u + (v + w)
4 There exists a zero vector 0 in V such that u + 0 = u
5 For each u in V , there exists −u such that u + (−u) = 0
6 The scalar multiple cu is in V
7 c(u + v) = cu + cv
8 (c + d)u = cu + du
9 c(du) = (cd)u
10 1u = u
Finishing up with polynomials Subspaces Spans are subspaces

Definition

Sometimes one vector space lives inside another one. More

precisely:

Let V be a vector space. A subset H of V is called a subspace if H

satisfies the following three properties:
1 The zero vector 0 of V is in H.
2 H is closed under vector addition. That is, for each u and v in
H, the sum u + v is also in H.
3 H is closed under scalar multiplication. That is, for each u in
H and each scalar c, the vector cu is also in H.
I claim that if H is a subspace of V , then H itself is a vector space.
We’ll prove this shortly. The point of the definition is that if we
know H is a subset of the vector space V that satisfies these three
conditions, then the other 7 axioms H needs to satisfy are true “for
free.”
Finishing up with polynomials Subspaces Spans are subspaces

Example

P2 is a subspace of P3 . Why? Well, every polynomial p of degree

at most 2 is also a polynomial of degree at most 3. Thus, P2 is a
subset of P3 . So why is it a subspace?
1 The zero polynomial 0(t) is the same in both P2 and P3 , so
property 1 is satisfied.
2 If p and q are in P2 , then we know that p + q is again in P2 ,
so property 2 is satisfied.
3 Similarly, we know P2 is closed under scalar multiplication,
because we already know P2 is a vector space.
This shows P2 is a subspace of P3 .
Finishing up with polynomials Subspaces Spans are subspaces

More generally

Suppose V and H are two vectors spaces, and suppose that H is a

subset of V in such a way that the two zero vectors 0 (one for V ,
the other for H) are the same, then H is a subspace of V.
Finishing up with polynomials Subspaces Spans are subspaces

iClicker

Is R a subspace of R2 ?
1 Duh, yeah!
2 No way, bro!
Finishing up with polynomials Subspaces Spans are subspaces

Example
Let H be the subset of R3 consisting of all vectors of the form
(s, t, 0) where s and t are arbitrary real numbers. Let’s show H is
a subspace:
1 Setting s = t = 0 shows the zero vector of R3 is in H.
2 If
(s1 , t1 , 0) and (s2 , t2 , 0)
are in H, then

(s1 , t1 , 0) + (s2 , t2 , 0) = (s1 + s2 , t1 + t2 , 0)

is again in H.
3 Similarly, if (s, t, 0) is in H and c is a scalar, then

c(s, t, 0) = (cs, ct, 0)

is again in H.
Finishing up with polynomials Subspaces Spans are subspaces

Proving that a subspace of a vector space is itself a vector

space [see board]

A subset H of V is called a subspace if H satisfies the H is av vector space if for all vectors u, v, w in H and
following three properties: for all scalars c, d in R:
1 The sum u + v is in H
2 u+v =v+u
1 The zero vector 0 of V is in H.
3 (u + v) + w = u + (v + w)
4 There exists a zero vector 0 in H such that
2 u+0=u
H is closed under vector addition. That is, for
each u and v in H, the sum u + v is also in H. 5 For each u in H, there exists −u such that
u + (−u) = 0
6 The scalar multiple cu is in H
3 H is closed under scalar multiplication. That is, 7 c(u + v) = cu + cv
for each u in H and each scalar c, the vector
cu is also in H. 8 (c + d)u = cu + du
9 c(du) = (cd)u
10 1u = u
Finishing up with polynomials Subspaces Spans are subspaces

Some slightly more general definitions

Just like we defined linear combinations and the span of a set of

vectors in Rn , we can define linear combinations and the span of a
set of vectors in any vector space.

More precisely, let V be a vector space and let {v1 , . . . , vp } be a

set of p vectors in V . A linear combination of v1 , . . . , vp is any
vector in V of the form

c1 v1 + c2 v2 + · · · + cp vp

for some scalars c1 , . . . , cp .

The set Span{v1 , . . . , vp } of all linear combinations of v1 , . . . , vp is

called the span of {v1 , . . . , vp }.
Finishing up with polynomials Subspaces Spans are subspaces

Spans are subspaces

Theorem
If v1 , . . . , vp are vectors in the vector space V , then
Span{v1 , . . . , vp } is a subspace of V .

For this reason, we sometimes call Span{v1 , . . . , vp } the subspace

spanned (or generated) by {v1 , . . . , vp }.

We will see later that the converse is also true: every subspace of a
vector space is the span of some set of vectors. If H is a subspace
of V , a spanning (or generating) set of H is a set {v1 , . . . , vp }
such that H = Span{v1 , . . . , vp }.
Finishing up with polynomials Subspaces Spans are subspaces

iClicker 2

Let H be the set of all vectors of the form (a − 3b, b − a, a) in R3 .

We can show H is a subspace by finding a spanning set for H.
Which of the following is a spanning set for H?
(a) {(a, −a, a), (−3b, b, 0)} for any a, b
(b) {(a, −a, a), (−3b, b, 1)} for any a, b
(c) {(−1, 0, −1), (0, 0, 1)}
(d) {(−2, 2, −2), (−3, 1, 0)}
(e) H