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Direct Sum of Vector Subspaces

The document discusses the sum of two subspaces of a vector space. It defines the sum of subspaces W1 and W2 as the set of all vectors formed by adding a vector from W1 and a vector from W2. It proves that the sum of two subspaces is also a subspace, and provides an example. It also discusses the dimension of the sum of two subspaces and conditions for when the sum is direct.

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47 views6 pages

Direct Sum of Vector Subspaces

The document discusses the sum of two subspaces of a vector space. It defines the sum of subspaces W1 and W2 as the set of all vectors formed by adding a vector from W1 and a vector from W2. It proves that the sum of two subspaces is also a subspace, and provides an example. It also discusses the dimension of the sum of two subspaces and conditions for when the sum is direct.

Uploaded by

KamalSilvas
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

SUM OF TWO SUBSPACES OF A VECTOR SPACE

Suppose 𝑊1 and 𝑊2 are subspaces of a vector space 𝑉 over ℝ. Then define


𝑊1 + 𝑊2 = {𝑤1 + 𝑤2 : 𝑤1 ∈ 𝑊1 , 𝑤2 ∈ 𝑊2 }
The set 𝑊1 + 𝑊2 is called the sum of the subspaces 𝑊1 and 𝑊2 .

Theorem 01
The sum of two vector spaces 𝑊1 and 𝑊2 , 𝑊1 + 𝑊2 of a vector space 𝑉 is also a subspace of 𝑉.

Proof
The sum of 𝑊1 and 𝑊2 is defined by 𝑊1 + 𝑊2 = {𝑤1 + 𝑤2 : 𝑤1 ∈ 𝑊1 , 𝑤2 ∈ 𝑊2 }.
Since both of 𝑊1 and 𝑊2 are subspaces of 𝑉, both subspaces contain the zero vector of 𝑉,
i.e. 0 ∈ 𝑊1 and 0 ∈ 𝑊2 which implies that 0 + 0 = 0 ∈ 𝑊1 + 𝑊2 .

Therefore 𝑊1 + 𝑊2 is a non-empty subset of 𝑉.

1
Let 𝑤11 + 𝑤21 , 𝑤12 + 𝑤22 ∈ 𝑊1 + 𝑊2 where 𝑤11 , 𝑤12 ∈ 𝑊1 and 𝑤21 , 𝑤22 ∈ 𝑊2 .
Then consider (𝑤11 + 𝑤21 ) + (𝑤12 + 𝑤22 ) = (𝑤11 + 𝑤12 ) + (𝑤21 + 𝑤22 ) ∈ 𝑊1 + 𝑊2

Vector addition is Definition of sum of subspaces


associative and
commutative

Therefore the vector addition satisfy the closure property.


Let 𝑤11 + 𝑤21 ∈ 𝑊1 + 𝑊2 and 𝑐 ∈ ℝ , then 𝑤11 ∈ 𝑊1 and , 𝑤21 ∈ 𝑊2 .
Since 𝑊1 and 𝑊2 are vector spaces themselves, we have 𝑐𝑤11 ∈ 𝑊1 and c𝑤21 ∈ 𝑊2 .
It gives that 𝑐𝑤11 + c𝑤21 = 𝑐(𝑤11 + 𝑤21 ) ∈ 𝑊1 + 𝑊2 .
Therefore the scalar multiplications satisfy the closure property.
So 𝑊1 + 𝑊2 is a subspace of 𝑉.
Moreover 𝑊1 + 𝑊2 is the smallest subspace of 𝑉 that contains both 𝑊1 and 𝑊2 .

Example
(a) Let 𝑊1 = {(𝑥, 0,0) ∈ ℝ3 , 𝑥 ∈ ℝ} and 𝑊2 = {(0, 𝑦, 0) ∈ ℝ3 , 𝑦 ∈ ℝ} .
Then both of them are subspaces of the vector space ℝ3 .
Now we can find 𝑊1 + 𝑊2 as follows:
𝑊1 + 𝑊2 = {(𝑥, 𝑦, 0): 𝑥, 𝑦 ∈ ℝ}.

(b) Next, let 𝑉 = ℝ4 , 𝑊1 = {(𝑥, 𝑦, 𝑧, 𝑤): 𝑥 + 𝑦 + 𝑧 = 0, 𝑥 + 2𝑦 − 𝑧 = 0},


𝑊2 = {(𝑥, 2𝑥, 3𝑥, 𝑡): 𝑠, 𝑡 ∈ ℝ}
Find a basis for the subspace 𝑊1 + 𝑊2 .

2
The following theorem tells us about the dimension of 𝑊1 + 𝑊2 and the proof of the theorem suggests
how to write its basis.
Theorem
If 𝑊1 and 𝑊2 are subspaces of a vector space 𝑉, then
dim(𝑊1 + 𝑊2 ) = dim(𝑊1 ) + dim(𝑊2 ) − dim(𝑊1 ∩ 𝑊2 )
Proof:
Let 𝑆 be a basis of 𝑊1 ∩ 𝑊2 (If 𝑊1 ∩ 𝑊2 is the zero space then 𝑆 = 𝛷.
For each 𝑖 = 1,2, extend 𝑆 to a basis 𝐵𝑖 of 𝑊𝑖 .

Let 𝑆 = {𝑢1 , 𝑢2 , … , 𝑢𝑟 }, 𝑊1 = {𝑢1 , 𝑢2 , … , 𝑢𝑟 , 𝑣1 , 𝑣2 , … , 𝑣𝑠 } and 𝑊2 = {𝑢1 , 𝑢2 , … , 𝑢𝑟 , 𝑤1 , 𝑤2 , … , 𝑤𝑡 }.

Then dim(𝑊1 ∩ 𝑊2 ) = 𝑟, dim(𝑊1 ) = 𝑟 + 𝑠 and dim(𝑊1 ) = 𝑟 + 𝑡 .

Let 𝐵 = {𝑢1 , 𝑢2 , … , 𝑢𝑟 , 𝑣1 , 𝑣2 , … , 𝑣𝑠 , 𝑤1 , 𝑤2 , … , 𝑤𝑡 }.

It is enough to show that 𝐵 is a basis of 𝑊1 + 𝑊2 , because then we have


dim(𝑊1 + 𝑊2 ) = 𝑟 + 𝑠 + 𝑡 = (𝑟 + 𝑠) + (𝑟 + 𝑡) − 𝑟 = dim(𝑊1 ) + dim(𝑊2 ) − dim(𝑊1 ∩ 𝑊2 )
To show that 𝐵 is linearly independent, ∑𝑟𝑖=1 𝑎𝑖 𝑢𝑖 + ∑𝑠𝑟=1 𝑏𝑟 𝑣𝑟 + ∑𝑡𝑖=1 𝑐𝑡 𝑤𝑡 = 0

Then ∑𝑟𝑖=1 𝑎𝑖 𝑢𝑖 + ∑𝑠𝑗=1 𝑏𝑗 𝑣𝑗 = − ∑𝑡𝑘=1 𝑐𝑘 𝑤𝑘 .

Now the LHS is in 𝑊1 and the RHS is in 𝑊2 . So this element is in 𝑊1 ∩ 𝑊2 .


Thus − ∑𝑡𝑘=1 𝑐𝑘 𝑤𝑘 = ∑𝑟𝑖=1 𝑑𝑖 𝑢𝑖 so that ∑𝑟𝑖=1 𝑑𝑖 𝑢𝑖 +∑𝑡𝑘=1 𝑐𝑘 𝑤𝑘 = 0 which implies that 𝑑𝑖 = 0
and 𝑐𝑘 = 0 for all 𝑖 and 𝑘.(Since 𝐵2 is linearly independent)
Therefore, ∑𝑟𝑖=1 𝑎𝑖 𝑢𝑖 + ∑𝑠𝑗=1 𝑏𝑗 𝑣𝑗 = 0 which implies 𝑎𝑖 = 0 and 𝑏𝑗 = 0 for each 𝑖 and 𝑗.
(Since 𝐵1 is linearly independent)
Thus 𝐵 is linearly independent.

Let 𝑤 ∈ 𝑊1 + 𝑊2. Then 𝑤 = 𝑤1 + 𝑤2 for some 𝑤𝑖 ∈ 𝑊𝑖 for 𝑖 = 1,2.


Then 𝑤1 = ∑𝑟𝑖=1 𝑝𝑖 𝑢𝑖 + ∑𝑠𝑗=1 𝑞𝑗 𝑣𝑗 and 𝑤2 = ∑𝑟𝑖=1 𝑔𝑖 𝑢𝑖 + ∑𝑘=1 ℎ𝑘 𝑤𝑘 .

Now 𝑤 = ∑𝑟𝑖=1(𝑝𝑖 + 𝑔𝑖 )𝑢𝑖 + ∑𝑠𝑗=1 𝑞𝑗 𝑣𝑗 + ∑𝑘=1 ℎ𝑘 𝑤𝑘 which is in 𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑛(𝐵).

Therefore 𝐵 is a basis for 𝑊1 + 𝑊2 and the theorem is proved.

3
The sum 𝑊1 + 𝑊2 is called direct if 𝑊1 ∩ 𝑊2 = {0}.

In particular, a vector space 𝑉 is said to be the direct sum of two subspaces 𝑊1 and 𝑊2 if 𝑉 = 𝑊1 + 𝑊2
and 𝑊1 ∩ 𝑊2 = {0}

When 𝑉 is a direct sum of 𝑊1 and 𝑊2 , we write 𝑉 = 𝑊1 ⨁ 𝑊2 .

Theorem
Suppose 𝑊1 and 𝑊2 are subspaces of a vector space 𝑉 so that 𝑉 = 𝑊1 + 𝑊2 . Then 𝑉 = 𝑊1 ⨁ 𝑊2 if
and only if every vector in 𝑉 can be written in a unique way as 𝑤1 + 𝑤2 where 𝑤𝑖 ∈ 𝑊𝑖 for 𝑖 = 1,2.
Proof:
Since 𝑉 = 𝑊1 + 𝑊2 for every vector in 𝑉 is a sum of a vector in 𝑊1 and a vector in 𝑊2 .
Suppose that for every 𝑣 ∈ 𝑉, there is only one pair (𝑤1 , 𝑤2 ) with 𝑤𝑖 ∈ 𝑊𝑖 such that 𝑣 = 𝑤1 + 𝑤2 . If
𝑊1 ∩ 𝑊2 is non-zero, pick a non-zero vector 𝑢 ∈ 𝑊1 ∩ 𝑊2 .
Then 𝑢 = 𝑢 + 0.
With 𝑢 ∈ 𝑊1 , 0 ∈ 𝑊2 and 𝑢 = 0 + 𝑢 with 0 ∈ 𝑊1 and 𝑢 ∈ 𝑊2 .

This contradicts our uniqueness assumption.

Conversely , suppose 𝑉 = 𝑊1 ⨁ 𝑊2 .Then 𝑉 = 𝑊1 + 𝑊2 and 𝑊1 ∩ 𝑊2 = {0}.

If for 𝑣 ∈ 𝑉, we have 𝑣 = 𝑤1 + 𝑤2 = 𝑤1′ + 𝑤2 ′ for 𝑤1 , 𝑤1′ ∈ 𝑊1 and 𝑤2 , 𝑤2′ ∈ 𝑊2 , then


𝑤1 − 𝑤1′ = 𝑤2 ′ − 𝑤2 .
The LHS is in 𝑊1 and the RHS is in 𝑊2 : therefore , this vector is in 𝑊1 ∩ 𝑊2 . Since by assumption
𝑊1 ∩ 𝑊2 = {0}, we have 𝑤1 − 𝑤1′ = 0 and 𝑤2′ − 𝑤2 = 0 so that 𝑤1 = 𝑤1′ and 𝑤2′ = 𝑤2 .

Example:
Let 𝑉 = ℝ2 , 𝑊1 = {(𝑥, 2𝑥): 𝑥 ∈ ℝ} and 𝑊2 = {(𝑥, 3𝑥): 𝑥 ∈ ℝ}. Show that 𝑉 = 𝑊1 ⨁ 𝑊2.

4
Preposition 01
Let 𝑊1 and 𝑊2 are subspaces of a vector space 𝑉. Then 𝑉 = 𝑊1 ⊕ 𝑊2 if and only if the following
conditions hold:
1. 𝑉 = 𝑊1 + 𝑊2 ,
2. If 𝑤1 + 𝑤2 = 0 with 𝑤1 ∈ 𝑊1 and 𝑤2 ∈ 𝑊2, then 𝑤1 = 𝑤2 = 0.

Proof
Suppose 𝑉 = 𝑊1 ⊕ 𝑊2 . Then condition 1 hold by definition.
Certainly 0 = 0 + 0, and by uniqueness this is the only way to write 0 ∈ 𝑉, we have 𝑤1 = 𝑤2 = 0.

Suppose condition 1 and 2 hold. By condition 1, we have that , for all 𝑣 ∈ 𝑉, there exist 𝑤1 ∈ 𝑊1 and
𝑤2 ∈ 𝑊2 such that 𝑣 = 𝑤1 + 𝑤2 . Suppose 𝑣 = 𝑢1 + 𝑢2 for 𝑢1 ∈ 𝑊1 and 𝑤2 ∈ 𝑊2 .
Subtracting these two equations , we obtain 0 = (𝑢1 − 𝑤1 ) + (𝑢2 − 𝑤2 ) where 𝑢1 − 𝑤1 ∈ 𝑊1 and
𝑢2 − 𝑤2 ∈ 𝑊2 . By condition 2 implies that 𝑢1 − 𝑤1 = 0 and 𝑢2 − 𝑤2 = 0 or equivalently

𝑢1 = 𝑤1 and 𝑢2 = 𝑤2 as desired.

Preposition 02
Let 𝑊1 and 𝑊2 are subspaces of a vector space 𝑉. Then 𝑉 = 𝑊1 ⊕ 𝑊2 if and only if the following
conditions hold:
1. 𝑉 = 𝑊1 + 𝑊2
2. If 𝑊1 ∩ 𝑊2 = {0}.

Proof
Suppose 𝑉 = 𝑊1 ⊕ 𝑊2 . Then condition 1 hold by definition.
If 𝑢 ∈ 𝑊1 ∩ 𝑊2 , then 0 = 𝑢 + (−𝑢) with 𝑢 ∈ 𝑊1 and −𝑢 ∈ 𝑊2 and by preposition 1, we have 𝑢 =
0 and − 𝑢 = 0 so that 𝑊1 ∩ 𝑊2 = {0}

Suppose condition 1 and 2 hold.


To prove that 𝑉 = 𝑊1 ⊕ 𝑊2 holds, suppose 0 = 𝑤1 + 𝑤2 where 𝑤1 ∈ 𝑊1 and 𝑤2 ∈ 𝑊2 .

By preposition 1, it suffices to show that 𝑤1 = 𝑤2 = 0. It implies that 𝑤1 = −𝑤2 ∈ 𝑊2 . Hence 𝑤1 ∈


𝑊1 ∩ 𝑊2 which in turn implies that 𝑤1 = 0. Then we also have 𝑤2 = 0.

5
Everything in this section can be generalized to 𝑚 subspaces 𝑊1 , 𝑊2 , … , 𝑊𝑚 with the noble exception
preposition2. To see this, consider the following example:
Example
𝑊1 = {(𝑥, 𝑦, 0): 𝑥, 𝑦 ∈ ℝ} , 𝑊2 = {(0,0, 𝑧): 𝑧 ∈ ℝ} and 𝑊3 = {(0, 𝑦, 𝑦): 𝑦 ∈ ℝ} are subspaces of ℝ3 .
but ℝ3 ≠ 𝑊1 + 𝑊2 + 𝑊3 , since , for example

But 𝑊1 ∩ 𝑊2 = 𝑊2 ∩ 𝑊3 = 𝑊1 ∩ 𝑊3 ={0} so that the analog in preposition 2 does not hold.

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For a vector space \( V \) to be expressed as a direct sum \( V = W_1 \oplus W_2 \), two conditions must be met: first, \( V \) must be the sum of \( W_1 \) and \( W_2 \), i.e., \( V = W_1 + W_2 \); second, the intersection of \( W_1 \) and \( W_2 \) must only contain the zero vector, i.e., \( W_1 \cap W_2 = \{0\} \). These conditions ensure that every vector in \( V \) can be uniquely expressed as a sum of vectors from \( W_1 \) and \( W_2 \).

The sum \( W_1 + W_2 \) is a direct sum \( V = W_1 \oplus W_2 \) if and only if their intersection is trivial, i.e., \( W_1 \cap W_2 = \{0\} \). This means every vector in \( V \) can be uniquely expressed as a sum \( w_1 + w_2 \) where \( w_1 \in W_1 \) and \( w_2 \in W_2 \).

To construct a basis for the sum \( W_1 + W_2 \), first find a basis \( S \) for the intersection \( W_1 \cap W_2 \). Extend \( S \) to a basis \( B_1 \) of \( W_1 \) and \( B_2 \) of \( W_2 \). The combined set \( B = B_1 \cup B_2 \) forms a basis for \( W_1 + W_2 \) as it spans \( W_1 + W_2 \) and is linearly independent . For example, if \( W_1 = \{(x, 0, 0) \in \mathbb{R}^3 : x \in \mathbb{R}\} \) and \( W_2 = \{(0, y, 0) \in \mathbb{R}^3 : y \in \mathbb{R}\} \), a basis for their sum is \( \{ (1, 0, 0), (0, 1, 0) \} \).

The formula for the dimension of the sum of two subspaces \( \text{dim}(W_1 + W_2) = \text{dim}(W_1) + \text{dim}(W_2) - \text{dim}(W_1 \cap W_2) \) can be extended to more subspaces by considering the mutual intersections of each subspace and suitably adjusting for these overlaps. When dealing with multiple subspaces, it is necessary to compute the dimension of intersections of every possible subspace pair and subtract these from the sum of their dimensions to avoid double-counting shared dimensions. This leads to the consideration of combinations of subspaces to achieve an accurate account of their collective span .

The concept of direct sum can be extended to more than two subspaces in a vector space \( V \) by ensuring that \( V = W_1 + W_2 + \ldots + W_m \) and the intersection between any pair of these subspaces is trivial, i.e., \( W_i \cap W_j = \{0\} \) for all \( i \neq j \). This ensures unique representation of vectors in \( V \) as sums of vectors from each subspace, simultaneously for all subspaces involved. However, specific conditions, like those outlined for two subspaces, may not always hold when generalized, as seen in certain non-trivial intersections .

The sum \( W_1 + W_2 \) of two subspaces in a vector space \( V \) satisfies two closure properties: closure under vector addition and closure under scalar multiplication. For vector addition, if \( u = w_1 + w_2 \) and \( v = w'_1 + w'_2 \) are in \( W_1 + W_2 \), then \( u + v = (w_1 + w'_1) + (w_2 + w'_2) \) is also in \( W_1 + W_2 \). For scalar multiplication, if \( c \in \mathbb{R} \), then \( c(u) = c(w_1 + w_2) = cw_1 + cw_2 \) is in \( W_1 + W_2 \).

The dimension of the sum of two subspaces \( W_1 \) and \( W_2 \) in a vector space \( V \) is given by the formula \( \text{dim}(W_1 + W_2) = \text{dim}(W_1) + \text{dim}(W_2) - \text{dim}(W_1 \cap W_2) \). This formula reflects the fact that when subspaces overlap, the shared dimension (their intersection) is counted twice if directly added, hence it is subtracted to get the correct total dimension of their sum .

The sum of two subspaces \( W_1 \) and \( W_2 \), denoted \( W_1 + W_2 \), is significant because it forms another subspace within the vector space \( V \). It is constructed as the set of all sums \( w_1 + w_2 \) where \( w_1 \in W_1 \) and \( w_2 \in W_2 \). The sum \( W_1 + W_2 \) also satisfies the closure properties of vector addition and scalar multiplication, ensuring it is a subspace .

Consider the vector space \( \mathbb{R}^2 \) with subspaces \( W_1 = \{(x, 2x) : x \in \mathbb{R}\} \) and \( W_2 = \{(x, 3x) : x \in \mathbb{R}\} \). Their intersection is trivial, \( W_1 \cap W_2 = \{(0,0)\} \), because \( (x, 2x) = (y, 3y) \) in \( \mathbb{R}^2 \) implies \( x = y = 0 \). Thus, \( \mathbb{R}^2 = W_1 \oplus W_2 \) because every vector in \( \mathbb{R}^2 \) can be uniquely expressed as a sum from these subspaces .

In the calculus of dimensions involving intersecting subspaces, indirect subspaces highlight the dimension contributed by vectors that belong exclusively to the shared subspace \( W_1 \cap W_2 \). These indirectly affect the overall dimension by adding, via their dimensions, to the total count unless accurately measured against overlaps in \( W_1 + W_2 \). Properly understanding and excluding these repetitive counts prevent inflation of the total dimension, allowing the application of the dimension formula \( \text{dim}(W_1 + W_2) = \text{dim}(W_1) + \text{dim}(W_2) - \text{dim}(W_1 \cap W_2) \) to hold true without double counting .

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