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Section 3.5 Subspaces

In this chapter, we have been looking at bases for Rp, sets of vectors that are linearly independent and span Rp. Frequently, however, we focus on only a subset of Rp. In particular, if we are given an mΓ—n matrix A, we have been interested in both the span of the columns of A and the solution space to the homogeneous equation Ax=0. In this section, we will expand the concept of basis to describe sets like these.

Preview Activity 3.5.1.

Let’s consider the following matrix A and its reduced row echelon form.
A=[2βˆ’1231002βˆ’22βˆ’4βˆ’2]∼[100201βˆ’210000].
  1. Are the columns of A linearly independent? Is the span of the columns R3?
  2. Give a parametric description of the solution space to the homogeneous equation Ax=0.
  3. Explain how this parametric description produces two vectors w1 and w2 whose span is the solution space to the equation Ax=0.
  4. What can you say about the linear independence of the set of vectors w1 and w2?
  5. Let’s denote the columns of A as v1, v2, v3, and v4. Explain why v3 and v4 can be written as linear combinations of v1 and v2.
  6. Explain why v1 and v2 are linearly independent and
    Span{v1,v2}=Span{v1,v2,v3,v4}.

Subsection 3.5.1 Subspaces

Our goal is to develop a common framework for describing subsets like the span of the columns of a matrix and the solution space to a homogeneous equation. That leads us to the following definition.

Definition 3.5.1.

A subspace of Rp is a subset of Rp that is the span of a set of vectors.
Since we have explored the concept of span in some detail, this definition just gives us a new word to describe something familiar. Let’s look at some examples.

Example 3.5.2. Subspaces of R3.

In Activity 2.3.3 and the following discussion, we looked at subspaces in R3 without explicitly using that language. Let’s recall some of those examples.
  • Suppose we have a single nonzero vector v. The span of v is a subspace, which we’ll write as S=Span{v}. As we have seen, the span of a single vector consists of all scalar multiples of that vector, and these form a line passing through the origin.
  • If instead we have two linearly independent vectors v1 and v2, the subspace S=Span{v1,v2} is a plane passing through the origin.
  • Consider the three vectors e1, e2, and e3. Since we know that every 3-dimensional vector can be written as a linear combination, we have S=Span{e1,e2,e3}=R3.
  • One more subspace worth mentioning is S=Span{0}. Since any linear combination of the zero vector is itself the zero vector, this subspace consists of a single vector, 0.
In fact, any subspace of R3 is one of these types: the origin, a line, a plane, or all of R3.

Activity 3.5.2.

We will look at some sets of vectors and the subspaces they form.
  1. If v1,v2,…,vn is a set of vectors in Rm, explain why 0 can be expressed as a linear combination of these vectors. Use this fact to explain why the zero vector 0 belongs to any subspace in Rm.
  2. Explain why the line on the left of Figure 3.5.3 is not a subspace of R2 and why the line on the right is.
    Figure 3.5.3. Two lines in R2, one of which is a subspace and one of which is not.
  3. Consider the vectors
    v1=[101],   v2=[011],   v3=[110],
    and describe the subspace S=Span{v1,v2,v3} of R3.
  4. Consider the vectors
    w1=[210],   w2=[βˆ’11βˆ’1],   w3=[03βˆ’2]
    1. Write w3 as a linear combination of w1 and w2.
    2. Explain why Span{w1,w2,w3}=Span{w1,w2}.
    3. Describe the subspace S=Span{w1,w2,w3} of R3.
  5. Suppose that v1, v2, v3, and v4 are four vectors in R3 and that
    [v1v2v3v4]∼[120βˆ’200110000].
    Give a description of the subspace S=Span{v1,v2,v3,v4} of R3.
As the activity shows, it is possible to represent some subspaces as the span of more than one set of vectors. We are particularly interested in representing a subspace as the span of a linearly independent set of vectors.

Definition 3.5.4.

A basis for a subspace S of Rp is a set of vectors in S that are linearly independent and whose span is S. We say that the dimension of the subspace S, denoted dim⁑S, is the number of vectors in any basis.

Example 3.5.5. A subspace of R4.

Suppose we have the 4-dimensional vectors v1, v2, and v3 that define the subspace S=Span{v1,v2,v3} of R4. Suppose also that
[v1v2v3]∼[1βˆ’10001000000].
From the reduced row echelon form of the matrix, we see that v2=βˆ’v. Therefore, any linear combination of v1, v2, and v3 can be rewritten
c1v1+c2v2+c3v3=(c1βˆ’c2)v1+c2v3
as a linear combination of v1 and v3. This tells us that
S=Span{v1,v2,v3}=Span{v1,v3}.
Furthermore, the reduced row echelon form of the matrix shows that v1 and v3 are linearly independent. Therefore, {v1,v3} is a basis for S, which means that S is a two-dimensional subspace of R4.
Subspaces of R3 are either
  • 0-dimensional, consisting of the single vector 0,
  • a 1-dimensional line,
  • a 2-dimensional plane, or
  • the 3-dimensional subspace R3.
There is no 4-dimensional subspace of R3 because there is no linearly independent set of four vectors in R3.
There are two important subspaces associated to any matrix, each of which springs from one of our two fundamental questions, as we will now see.

Subsection 3.5.2 The column space of A

The first subspace associated to a matrix that we’ll consider is its column space.

Definition 3.5.6.

If A is an mΓ—n matrix, we call the span of its columns the column space of A and denote it as Col(A).
Notice that the columns of A are vectors in Rm, which means that any linear combination of the columns is also in Rm. Since the column space is described as the span of a set of vectors, we see that Col(A) is a subspace of Rm.

Activity 3.5.3.

We will explore some column spaces in this activity.
  1. Consider the matrix
    A=[v1v2v3]=[13βˆ’1βˆ’20βˆ’4120].
    Since Col(A) is the span of the columns, we have
    Col(A)=Span{v1,v2,v3}.
    Explain why v3 can be written as a linear combination of v1 and v2 and why Col(A)=Span{v1,v2}.
  2. Explain why the vectors v1 and v2 form a basis for Col(A) and why Col(A) is a 2-dimensional subspace of R3 and therefore a plane.
  3. Now consider the matrix B and its reduced row echelon form:
    B=[βˆ’2βˆ’406120βˆ’3]∼[120βˆ’30000].
    Explain why Col(B) is a 1-dimensional subspace of R2 and is therefore a line.
  4. For a general matrix A, what is the relationship between the dimension dim⁑ Col(A) and the number of pivot positions in A?
  5. How does the location of the pivot positions indicate a basis for Col(A)?
  6. If A is an invertible 9Γ—9 matrix, what can you say about the column space Col(A)?
  7. Suppose that A is an 8Γ—10 matrix and that Col(A)=R8. If b is an 8-dimensional vector, what can you say about the equation Ax=b?

Example 3.5.7.

Consider the matrix A and its reduced row echelon form:
A=[20βˆ’4βˆ’60βˆ’4βˆ’171120βˆ’1βˆ’1βˆ’12]∼[10βˆ’2βˆ’300111βˆ’200000],
and denote the columns of A as v1,v2,…,v5.
It is certainly true that Col(A)=Span{v1,v2,…,v5} by the definition of the column space. However, the reduced row echelon form of the matrix shows us that the vectors are not linearly independent so v1,v2,…,v5 do not form a basis for Col(A).
From the reduced row echelon form, however, we can see that
v3=βˆ’2v1+v2v4=βˆ’3v1+v2v5=βˆ’2v2.
This means that any linear combination of v1,v2,…,v5 can be written as a linear combination of just v1 and v2. Therefore, we see that Col(A)=Span{v1,v2}.
Moreover, the reduced row echelon form shows that v1 and v2 are linearly independent, which implies that they form a basis for Col(A). This means that Col(A) is a 2-dimensional subspace of R3, which is a plane in R3, having basis
[2βˆ’40],[0βˆ’11].
In general, a column without a pivot position can be written as a linear combination of the columns that have pivot positions. This means that a basis for Col(A) will always be given by the columns of A having pivot positions. This leads us to the following definition and proposition.

Definition 3.5.8.

The rank of a matrix A is the number of pivot positions in A and is denoted by rank(A).
For example, the rank of the matrix A in Example 3.5.7 is two because there are two pivot positions. A basis for Col(A) is given by the first two columns of A since those columns have pivot positions.
As a note of caution, we determine the pivot positions by looking at the reduced row echelon form of A. However, we form a basis of Col(A) from the columns of A rather than the columns of the reduced row echelon matrix.

Subsection 3.5.3 The null space of A

The second subspace associated to a matrix is its null space.

Definition 3.5.10.

If A is an mΓ—n matrix, we call the subset of vectors x in Rn satisfying Ax=0 the null space of A and denote it by Nul(A).
Remember that a subspace is a subset that can be represented as the span of a set of vectors. The column space of A, which is simply the span of the columns of A, fits this definition. It may not be immediately clear how the null space of A, which is the solution space of the equation Ax=0, does, but we will see that Nul(A) is a subspace of Rn.

Activity 3.5.4.

We will explore some null spaces in this activity and see why Nul(A) satisfies the definition of a subspace.
  1. Consider the matrix
    A=[13βˆ’12βˆ’20βˆ’421201]
    and give a parametric description of the solution space to the equation Ax=0. In other words, give a parametric description of Nul(A).
  2. This parametric description shows that the vectors satisfying the equation Ax=0 can be written as a linear combination of a set of vectors. In other words, this description shows why Nul(A) is the span of a set of vectors and is therefore a subspace. Identify a set of vectors whose span is Nul(A).
  3. Use this set of vectors to find a basis for Nul(A) and state the dimension of Nul(A).
  4. The null space Nul(A) is a subspace of Rp for which value of p?
  5. Now consider the matrix B whose reduced row echelon form is given by
    B∼[120βˆ’30000].
    Give a parametric description of Nul(B).
  6. The parametric description gives a set of vectors that span Nul(B). Explain why this set of vectors is linearly independent and hence forms a basis. What is the dimension of Nul(B)?
  7. For a general matrix A, how does the number of pivot positions indicate the dimension of Nul(A)?
  8. Suppose that the columns of a matrix A are linearly independent. What can you say about Nul(A)?

Example 3.5.11.

Consider the matrix A along with its reduced row echelon form:
A=[20βˆ’4βˆ’60βˆ’4βˆ’171120βˆ’1βˆ’1βˆ’12]∼[10βˆ’2βˆ’300111βˆ’200000].
To find a parametric description of the solution space to Ax=0, imagine that we augment both A and its reduced row echelon form by a column of zeroes, which leads to the equations
x1βˆ’2x3βˆ’3x4=0x2+x3+x4βˆ’2x5=0.
Notice that x3, x4, and x5 are free variables so we rewrite these equations as
x1=2x3+3x4x2=βˆ’x3βˆ’x4+2x5.
In vector form, we have
x=[x1x2x3x4x5]=[2x3+3x4βˆ’x3βˆ’x4+2x5x3x4x5]=x3[2βˆ’1100]+x4[3βˆ’1010]+x5[02001].
This expression says that any vector x satisfying Ax=0 is a linear combination of the vectors
v1=[2βˆ’1100],   v2=[3βˆ’1010],   v3=[02001].
It is straightforward to check that these vectors are linearly independent, which means that v1, v2, and v3 form a basis for Nul(A), a 3-dimensional subspace of R5.
As illustrated in this example, the dimension of Nul(A) is equal to the number of free variables in the equation Ax=0, which equals the number of columns of A without pivot positions or the number of columns of A minus the number of pivot positions.

Subsection 3.5.4 Summary

Once again, we find ourselves revisiting our two fundamental questions concerning the existence and uniqueness of solutions to linear systems. The column space Col(A) contains all the vectors b for which the equation Ax=b is consistent. The null space Nul(A) is the solution space to the equation Ax=0, which reflects on the uniqueness of solutions to this and other equations.
  • A subspace S of Rp is a subset of Rp that can be represented as the span of a set of vectors. A basis of S is a linearly independent set of vectors whose span is S.
  • If A is an mΓ—n matrix, the column space Col(A) is the span of the columns of A and forms a subspace of Rm.
  • A basis for Col(A) is found from the columns of A that have pivot positions. The dimension is therefore dim⁑ Col(A)=rank(A).
  • The null space Nul(A) is the solution space to the homogeneous equation Ax=0 and is a subspace of Rn.
  • A basis for Nul(A) is found through a parametric description of the solution space of Ax=0, and we have that dim⁑ Nul(A)=nβˆ’rank(A).

Exercises 3.5.5 Exercises

1.

Suppose that A and its reduced row echelon form are
A=[020βˆ’4060βˆ’4βˆ’170βˆ’16060βˆ’1231504βˆ’1βˆ’908]∼[010βˆ’20300110400001βˆ’1000000].
  1. The null space Nul(A) is a subspace of Rp for what p? The column space Col(A) is a subspace of Rp for what p?
  2. What are the dimensions dim⁑ Nul(A) and dim⁑ Col(A)?
  3. Find a basis for the column space Col(A).
  4. Find a basis for the null space Nul(A).

2.

Suppose that
A=[20βˆ’2βˆ’4βˆ’2βˆ’1120βˆ’1βˆ’1βˆ’2].
  1. Is the vector [0βˆ’1βˆ’1] in Col(A)?
  2. Is the vector [2102] in Col(A)?
  3. Is the vector [2βˆ’20] in Nul(A)?
  4. Is the vector [1βˆ’13βˆ’1] in Nul(A)?
  5. Is the vector [101βˆ’1] in Nul(A)?

3.

Determine whether the following statements are true or false and provide a justification for your response. Unless otherwise stated, assume that A is an mΓ—n matrix.
  1. If A is a 127Γ—341 matrix, then Nul(A) is a subspace of R127.
  2. If dim⁑ Nul(A)=0, then the columns of A are linearly independent.
  3. If Col(A)=Rm, then A is invertible.
  4. If A has a pivot position in every column, then Nul(A)=Rn.
  5. If Col(A)=Rm and Nul(A)={0}, then A is invertible.

4.

Explain why the following statements are true.
  1. If B is invertible, then Nul(BA)=Nul(A).
  2. If B is invertible, then Col(AB)=Col(A).
  3. If A∼Aβ€², then Nul(A)=Nul(Aβ€²).

5.

For each of the following conditions, construct a 3Γ—3 matrix having the given properties.
  1. dim⁑ Nul(A)=0.
  2. dim⁑ Nul(A)=1.
  3. dim⁑ Nul(A)=2.
  4. dim⁑ Nul(A)=3.

6.

Suppose that A is a 3Γ—4 matrix.
  1. Is it possible that dim⁑ Nul(A)=0?
  2. If dim⁑ Nul(A)=1, what can you say about Col(A)?
  3. If dim⁑ Nul(A)=2, what can you say about Col(A)?
  4. If dim⁑ Nul(A)=3, what can you say about Col(A)?
  5. If dim⁑ Nul(A)=4, what can you say about Col(A)?

7.

Suppose we have the vectors
v1=[23βˆ’1], v2=[βˆ’124], w1=[3βˆ’110], w2=[βˆ’2401]
and that A is a matrix such that Col(A)=Span{v1,v2} and Nul(A)=Span{w1,w2}.
  1. What are the dimensions of A?
  2. Find such a matrix A.

8.

Suppose that A is an 8Γ—8 matrix and that detA=14.
  1. What can you conclude about Nul(A)?
  2. What can you conclude about Col(A)?

9.

Suppose that A is a matrix and there is an invertible matrix P such that
A=P [2000βˆ’30001] Pβˆ’1.
  1. What can you conclude about Nul(A)?
  2. What can you conclude about Col(A)?

10.

In this section, we saw that the solution space to the homogeneous equation Ax=0 is a subspace of Rp for some p. In this exercise, we will investigate whether the solution space to another equation Ax=b can form a subspace.
Let’s consider the matrix
A=[2βˆ’4βˆ’12].
  1. Find a parametric description of the solution space to the homogeneous equation Ax=0.
  2. Graph the solution space to the homogeneous equation to the right.
  3. Find a parametric description of the solution space to the equation Ax=[4βˆ’2] and graph it above.
  4. Is the solution space to the equation Ax=[4βˆ’2] a subspace of R2?
  5. Find a parametric description of the solution space to the equation Ax=[βˆ’84] and graph it above.
  6. What can you say about all the solution spaces to equations of the form Ax=b when b is a vector in Col(A)?
  7. Suppose that the solution space to the equation Ax=b forms a subspace. Explain why it must be true that b=0.
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