MAT 248: Applied Linear Algebra (Homework:5) 31 August 2023

1. (Examples of Vector Spaces)

Show that the following sets form a vector space by painstakingly verifying
the 10 axioms of vector spaces:
(a) C([0, 1]) = {f : [0, 1] → R : f is continuous}
(b) Fix two integers m, n ≥ 1. Mm×n (R) = {all matrices of order m ×
n with real entries}
(c) Set of all infinite sequences indexed by natural numbers N i.e. V =
{(a1 , a2 , a3 , · · · )|ai ∈ R, ∀i}
d2 y
(d) V = {f (t)|f (t) is a solution of dt2 + a dy
dt + by = 0, a, b ∈ R}
(e) Pn = {a0 + a1 x + · · · + an xn : ai ∈ R} is the set of polynomials with
degree at most n.
Comment: Before you start the verification you should first define the ad-
dition and the scalar multiplication.

2. (Identifying subspace)
Please explain if the following subsets form a subspace. If not state the
reason why not.
(a) H ⊂ C([0, 1]), H = {f : f (1/2) = 0}.
(b) H ⊂ C([0, 1]), H = {f : f (0) = 1 and f (1/2) = 0}
(c) H ⊂ C([0, 1]), H = {f : f is differentiable and f ′ (1/2) = 0}
(d) H ⊂ C([0, 1]), H = {f : graph of f is a finite union of straight line segments}.
(e) H ⊂ C([0, 1]), H = {f (x) = a1 x+a3 x3 +· · · a2n+1 x2n+1 } i.e. is the subset
of all polynomials with only odd degrees.
(f) Take m = n in 1.(b) and H ⊂ Mn×n (R), H = {A|T r(A) = 0}.
(g) H ⊂ Mn×n (R), H = {A|det(A) = 0}
(h) Fix a n × 1 vector b = [b1 , b2 , · · · , bn ]T . H ⊂ Mm×n (R), H = {A|Ab =
0m×1 }
(i) H ⊂ Mn×n (R), H = {A|A is invertible}.
(j) H ⊂ R4 , H = {[a − 2b, a + c, b + c, a + b + c]T : a, b, c ∈ R}.
 2 2
a b
(k) H ⊂ M2×2 (R), H = {A : A = ; a, b ∈ R}.
0 0

1
  
a b
(l) H ⊂ M2×2 (R), H = {A : A = ; abcd = 0}
c d
(m) In 1.(c) , H ⊂ V is the sequences of eventual zeros i.e.

H = {(a1 , a2 , · · · , an , 0, 0, 0, · · · ) : for some n}

(n) In 1.(c) , H ⊂ V is the sequences of convergent square series i.e.

∞
X
H = {(a1 , a2 , a3 , a4 · · · ) : (ai )2 is finite}
i=1

(o) In 1.(c) , H ⊂ V is the sequences of integers i.e.

H = {(a1 , a2 , a3 , a4 · · · ) : ai ∈ Z}

(p) In 1.(c) , H ⊂ V is the sequences of initial zero i.e.

H = {(a1 , a2 , a3 , a4 · · · ) : a1 = 0}

(q) In 1.(c) , H ⊂ V is the sequences of arithmetic progressions i.e.

H = {(a1 , a2 , a3 , a4 · · · ) : ai − ai+1 = d, ∀i, for some d}

(r) In 1.(c) , H ⊂ V is the sequences of geometric progressions i.e.

H = {(a1 , a2 , a3 , a4 · · · ) : ai+1 = rai , ∀i, for some r}

(s) H ⊂ Pn is the polynomials with even powers i.e.

H = {a0 + a1 x + · · · + an xn |ai = 0 when i is odd}

(t) H ⊂ Pn is the polynomials with sum of the coefficients equal to 1 i.e.

H = {a0 + a1 x + · · · + an xn |a0 + a1 + · · · + an = 1}

(u) H ⊂ Pn is the polynomials with a fixed root i.e.

H = {f (x) = a0 + a1 x + · · · + an xn |f (−2) = 0}

(v) H ⊂ Pn is the polynomials with degree exactly equal to n i.e.

H = {a0 + a1 x + · · · + an xn |an ̸= 0}

2
(w) H ⊂ Pn , n > 3 is the polynomials with a homogeneous conditions on the
coefficients i.e.

H = {a0 + a1 x + · · · + an xn |a1 − 2a2 + 3a3 = 0}

(x) Observe that there are natural inclusions:

P1 ⊂ P2 ⊂ P3 · · · ⊂ Pn−1 ⊂ Pn

Explain why these inclusions of these subsets are actually inclusions of

subspaces.
(y) H ⊂ Pn is the polynomials with a divisibility condition i.e.

H = {f (x) = a0 + a1 x + · · · + an xn |(1 + x2 ) does not divide f (x)}

(z) A polynomial is said to be irreducible if it can not be factored non-

trivially i.e. if f is irreducible and f (x) = g(x)h(x) then either f (x) or
g(x) is a scalar. For example (x2 + 1) is irreducible.

H ⊂ Pn is the subset of irreducible polynomials i.e.

H = {f (x) = a0 + a1 x + · · · + an xn |f is irreducible }