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Linear Algebra 3: Dual Spaces: Friday 3 November 2005

The document discusses linear functionals and dual spaces. It defines a linear functional as a function from a vector space to the field of scalars that is linear. The dual space of a vector space is the set of all linear functionals on that space. For finite-dimensional vector spaces, there is a basis of the dual space that is dual to any basis of the original vector space. Annihilators are defined as the kernel of linear functionals. The second dual space is also introduced.

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54 views8 pages

Linear Algebra 3: Dual Spaces: Friday 3 November 2005

The document discusses linear functionals and dual spaces. It defines a linear functional as a function from a vector space to the field of scalars that is linear. The dual space of a vector space is the set of all linear functionals on that space. For finite-dimensional vector spaces, there is a basis of the dual space that is dual to any basis of the original vector space. Annihilators are defined as the kernel of linear functionals. The second dual space is also introduced.

Uploaded by

Hariharan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Linear Algebra 3: Dual spaces

Friday 3 November 2005


Lectures for Part A of Oxford FHS in Mathematics and Joint Schools

• Linear functionals and the dual space

• Dual bases

• Annihilators

• An example

• The second dual.

Important note: Throughout this lecture F is a field and


V is a vector space over F .
0
Linear functionals
Definition: a linear functional on V is a function f : V → F such
that
f (α1v1 + α2v2) = α1f (v1) + α2f (v2)
for all α1, α2 ∈ F and all v1, v2 ∈ V .

Note: thus a linear functional is a linear transformation V → F ,


where F is construed as a 1-dimensional vector space over itself.

Example: if V = F n (column vectors) and y is a 1×n row vector


then the map v 7→ y v is a linear functional on V .

1
Dual spaces

Definition: The dual space V 0 of V is defined as follows:

Set := set of linear functionals on V


0 := zero function [v 7→ 0 for all v ∈ V ]
(f1 + f2)(v) := f1(v) + f2(v) [pointwise addition]
(λf )(v) := λf (v) [pointwise multiplication by scalars]

Note: Check that the vector space axioms are satisfied.

Note: Sometimes V 0 is written V ∗ or Hom(V, F ) or HomF (V, F ).

2
Dual basis, I

Theorem: Suppose that V is finite-dimensional. For every basis


v1, v2, . . . , vn of V there is a basis f1, f2, . . . , fn of V 0 such that
(
1 if i = j ,
fi(vj ) =
0 if i 6= j .
In particular, dim V 0 = dim V .

Proof.

3
Dual basis, II

Note: The basis f1, f2, . . . , fn is known as the dual basis of


v1, v2, . . . , vn. Clearly, it is unique.

Example: If V = F n (n×1 column vectors) then we may identify


V 0 with the space of 1 × n row vectors. The canonical basis
e1, e2, . . . , en then has dual basis e01, e02, . . . , e0n .

4
Annihilators
Definition: For a subset U of V the annihilator is defined by
U ◦ := {f ∈ V 0 | f (u) = 0 for all u ∈ U } .

Note: For any subset U the annihilator U ◦ is a subspace. It is


{f ∈ V 0 | U ⊆ Ker f }.
Theorem. Suppose that V is finite-dimensional and U is a sub-
space. Then
dim U + dim U ◦ = dim V .
Proof.

5
A worked example
Part of an old Schools question: Let V be a finite-dimensional
vector space over a field F . Show that if U1, U2 are subspaces
then (U1 + U2)◦ = U1◦ ∩ U2◦ and (U1 ∩ U2)◦ = U1◦ + U2◦.

Response.

6
The second dual

Theorem. Define Φ : V → V 00 by (Φv)(f ) := f (v) for all v ∈ V


and all f ∈ V 0. Then Φ is linear and one–one [injective]. If V is
finite-dimensional then Φ is an isomorphism.

Proof.

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