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• Basis and Dimension of the Subspace of All Polynomials of Degree 4 or Less Satisfying Some Conditions. Let $P_4$ be the vector space consisting of all polynomials of degree $4$ or less with real number coefficients. Let $W$ be the subspace of $P_2$ by \[W=\{ p(x)\in P_4 \mid p(1)+p(-1)=0 \text{ and } p(2)+p(-2)=0 \}.\] Find a basis of the subspace $W$ and determine the dimension of […]
• Ideal Quotient (Colon Ideal) is an Ideal Let $R$ be a commutative ring. Let $S$ be a subset of $R$ and let $I$ be an ideal of $I$. We define the subset \[(I:S):=\{ a \in R \mid aS\subset I\}.\] Prove that $(I:S)$ is an ideal of $R$. This ideal is called the ideal quotient, or colon ideal.   Proof. Let $a, […]
• Vector Form for the General Solution of a System of Linear Equations Solve the following system of linear equations by transforming its augmented matrix to reduced echelon form (Gauss-Jordan elimination). Find the vector form for the general […]
• If Two Matrices are Similar, then their Determinants are the Same Prove that if $A$ and $B$ are similar matrices, then their determinants are the same.   Proof. Suppose that $A$ and $B$ are similar. Then there exists a nonsingular matrix $S$ such that \[S^{-1}AS=B\] by definition. Then we […]
• Special Linear Group is a Normal Subgroup of General Linear Group Let $G=\GL(n, \R)$ be the general linear group of degree $n$, that is, the group of all $n\times n$ invertible matrices. Consider the subset of $G$ defined by \[\SL(n, \R)=\{X\in \GL(n,\R) \mid \det(X)=1\}.\] Prove that $\SL(n, \R)$ is a subgroup of $G$. Furthermore, prove that […]
• Finite Group and Subgroup Criteria Let $G$ be a finite group and let $H$ be a subset of $G$ such that for any $a,b \in H$, $ab\in H$. Then show that $H$ is a subgroup of $G$.   Proof. Let $a \in H$. To show that $H$ is a subgroup of $G$, it suffices to show that the inverse $a^{-1}$ is in $H$. If […]
• Idempotent Linear Transformation and Direct Sum of Image and Kernel Let $A$ be the matrix for a linear transformation $T:\R^n \to \R^n$ with respect to the standard basis of $\R^n$. We assume that $A$ is idempotent, that is, $A^2=A$. Then prove that \[\R^n=\im(T) \oplus \ker(T).\]   Proof. To prove the equality $\R^n=\im(T) […]
• The Sum of Cosine Squared in an Inner Product Space Let $\mathbf{v}$ be a vector in an inner product space $V$ over $\R$. Suppose that $\{\mathbf{u}_1, \dots, \mathbf{u}_n\}$ is an orthonormal basis of $V$. Let $\theta_i$ be the angle between $\mathbf{v}$ and $\mathbf{u}_i$ for $i=1,\dots, n$. Prove that \[\cos […]