Vector Space

A vector space, often denoted as (V, F), is a set V equipped with two binary operations,
addition and scalar multiplication, satisfying the following axioms for all vectors u, v, and w
in V and all scalars a and b in the field F:

1. Closure under Addition: For every pair of vectors u and v in V, their

sum u + v is also in V.
2. Associativity of Addition: Addition is associative, meaning that for
all u, v, and w in V, (u + v) + w = u + (v + w).
3. Commutativity of Addition: Addition is commutative, meaning that
for all u and v in V, u + v = v + u.
4. Existence of Zero Vector: There exists a unique vector, denoted as 0,
called the zero vector, such that for every vector u in V, u + 0 = u.
5. Existence of Additive Inverses: For each vector u in V, there
exists a unique vector -u in V such that u + (-u) = 0.
6. Closure under Scalar Multiplication: For every vector u in V
and every scalar a in F, their scalar product au is also in V.
7. Compatibility of Scalar Multiplication with Field
Multiplication: For all u in V and all scalars a and b in F,
8. distributive property holds: a(u + v) = au + av and (ab)u = a(bu) for
all a,b in filed and u,v in V.
9. Identity Element of Scalar Multiplication: There exists a
scalar 1 in F such that for all u in V, 1u = u.

These axioms define the fundamental properties of a vector space, which can be defined over
any field F (typically, the field of real numbers or the field of complex numbers) and can
encompass various sets of vectors, including geometric vectors in Euclidean space, functions,
matrices, and more. Vector spaces provide the foundation for linear algebra and are essential
in many areas of mathematics and science.

Example of a Vector Space:

Consider the set of all 2-dimensional real vectors, often denoted as ℝ². It consists of elements
in the form of (x, y), where x and y are real numbers. This set forms a vector space under
standard vector addition and scalar multiplication operations. The properties and axioms of
vector spaces apply to ℝ²:

Ex-1. Closure under Addition: For any two vectors u = (x₁, y₁) and v = (x₂, y₂) in ℝ²,
their sum u + v is also in ℝ²:

u + v = (x₁ + x₂, y₁ + y₂) ∈ ℝ².

 1. Closure under Scalar Multiplication: For any vector u = (x, y) in ℝ² and any scalar
c from ℝ, the scalar multiple cu is also in ℝ²:

cu = (cx, cy) ∈ ℝ².

2. Additive Identity: There exists a special vector, often denoted as 0, called the
additive identity or zero vector, such that for any vector u in ℝ², u + 0 = u.
3. Additive Inverse: For every vector u in ℝ², there exists a vector -u such that u + (-u)
= 0.
4. Associativity of Addition: For all u, v, w in ℝ², the addition operation is associative:
(u + v) + w = u + (v + w).
5. Commutativity of Addition: For all u and v in ℝ², the addition operation is
commutative: u + v = v + u.
6. Distributive Properties: Scalar multiplication distributes over vector addition and
scalar addition:

a(u + v) = au + av, and (a + b)u = au + bu, where a and b are scalars and u,v is a
vector inV

7. Scalar Multiplication Identity: For any vector u in ℝ², 1u = u, where 1 is the

multiplicative identity of the field.

These properties ensure that the set ℝ², equipped with standard vector addition and scalar
multiplication, forms a vector space.

Ex-2. Euclidean Space: The set of all n-dimensional real or complex vectors, denoted as
ℝⁿ or ℂⁿ, is a vector space. It's the most common vector space used to represent geometric
vectors.

Ex-3. Function Space: The set of all real or complex-valued functions defined on a
specified domain, such as the set of all continuous functions on a closed interval [a, b],
forms a vector space under pointwise addition and scalar multiplication.

Ex-4. Matrix Space: The set of all m×n matrices with real or complex entries, denoted as
M(m, n), is a vector space when matrices are added element-wise and multiplied by
scalars.

Ex-5. Polynomial Space: The set of all polynomials with coefficients in a field, such as
ℝ[x] or ℂ[x], forms a vector space under polynomial addition and scalar multiplication.

Ex-6. Subspace: Any subset of a vector space that satisfies the vector space axioms on its
own is itself a vector space. For example, the set of all 2D vectors in ℝ³ that lie in the xy-
plane is a subspace of ℝ³.