SC505 - Linear Algebra and Optimization

Autumn 2021
Assignment 3 Vector Spaces and Subspaces

1. Verify whether the subsets W given below are subspaces of the corresponding vector
spaces V:

(a) V = R3 , W = {( x, y, z) ∈ R3 | x2 + y2 + z2 = 1}.
(b) V = {( xi )i∞=0 | xi ∈ R} (also denoted RZ ), W = {( xi )i∞=0 ∈ V | xn = xn−1 +
+

x n −2 , ∀ n ≥ 2 } .
(c) V = Rn . Let A : Rn → Rn be a fixed matrix and λ ∈ R be a fixed scalar.
W = {v ∈ V | Av = λv}.
(d) V = P (R), W = { p ∈ V | p(1) = 0}.
(e) V = C 2 [ a, b], the set of real valued twice differentiable functions with continuous
derivatives of order 2, defined on [ a, b] ⊂ R, W = { f ∈ V | dx d
f ( x ) − 3 f ( x ) = 0}
(f) V = C[ a, b], , the set of real valued continuous functions defined on [ a, b] ⊂ R,
Rb
W = { f ∈ V | a f ( x ) dx = 0}.
(g) V = Mn (R), W = { A ∈ V | A1n = A T 1n = 0n }, where 1n is a n × 1 column
matrix containing n ones.

2. Let F be any field. Let F∞ := {( xi )i∞=−∞ | xi ∈ F, ∀i ∈ Z}. Show that F∞ is a vector

space over F with vector addition and scalar multiplication defined entry-wise. [After
Monday’s class] Show that F∞ is infinite dimensional. Note that a vector space is
infinite dimensional if it is not finite dimensional.

3. Let V = { f : R → R} be a vector space over R. Show that the set of even and odd
functions defined as Ue = { f ∈ V | f (t) = f (−t), ∀t ∈ R}, Uo = { f ∈ V | f (t) =
− f (−t), ∀t ∈ R} respectively, are subspaces of V. Then show that V = Ue ⊕ Uo .
4. For any matrix A ∈ Rm×n , show that Rn = C ( A T ) ⊕ N ( A), and Rm = C ( A) ⊕ N ( A T ).

5. In a vector space V, for any subset U of V, show that span(U ) is the intersection of all
subspaces of V that contain U.

6. In a vector space V, for any subset U of V, show that span(U ) is the smallest subspace
of V that contains U.

7. Let {v1 , . . . , vn } be a set of linearly independent vectors in V. With w ∈ V, show that if

{v1 + w, . . . , vn + w} is a set of linearly dependent vectors, then w ∈ span({v1 , . . . , vn }).
8. For any vector space V, is the empty set ∅, linearly indepedent?
   
a b
9. Show that the set , is linearly independent in R2 if and only if ad − bc 6=
c d
0.

10. Let U and W be two subspaces of a vector space V. Then show that span(U ∩ W ) =
span(U ) + span(W ). Under what conditions on U and W is span(U ∩ W ) = span(U ) ⊕
span(W ).