Section 6.

1: Inner products

Engineering Linear Algebra B (ASME2B2)

Ms A Thabede
Department of Pure and Applied Mathematics
University of Johannesburg

1/13
The dot product

Example
Recall that the dot product was defined as follows:
If u = (u1 , . . . , un ) and v = (v1 , . . . , vn ) are vectors in Rn , then
the dot product of u and v is denoted by u · v and is defined by

u · v = u1 v1 + u2 v2 + · · · + un vn

Some of the algebraic properties of the dot product includes: If

u, v and w are vectors in Rn , and if k is a scalar, then
1 u · v = v · u,
2 u · (v + w) = u · v + u · w,
3 k (u · v ) = (k u) · v ,
4 v · v ≥ 0 and v · v = 0 if, and only if, v = 0.

2/13
General inner products
Definition
An inner product on a real vector space V is a function that
associates a real number ⟨u, v ⟩ with each pair of vectors in V in
such a way that the following axioms are satisfied for all vectors
u, v and w in V and all scalars k :
1 ⟨u, v ⟩ = ⟨v , u⟩
2 ⟨u + v , w⟩ = ⟨u, w⟩ + ⟨v , w⟩
3 ⟨k u, v ⟩ = k ⟨u, v ⟩
4 ⟨v , v ⟩ ≥ 0 and ⟨v , v ⟩ = 0 if, and only if, v = 0.
A real vector space with an inner product is called a real inner
product space.

Example
The dot product on Rn is also commonly called the Euclidean
inner product (or standard inner product). We call Rn with the
Euclidean inner product the Euclidean n-space.
3/13
Weighted Euclidean inner products
Definition
If w1 , w2 , . . . , wn are positive real numbers, which we will call
weights, and if u = (u1 , . . . , un ) and v = (v1 , . . . , vn ) are vectors
in Rn , then

⟨u, v ⟩ = w1 u1 v1 + w2 u2 v2 + · · · + wn un vn

defines an inner product on Rn that we call the weighted

Euclidean inner product with weights w1 , w2 , . . . , wn .

Example
Consider the weighted Euclidean inner product on R3 with
weights 2, 1, 3.
1 Show that this function satisfies the axioms of an inner
product.
2 Let u = (2, −1, 3) and v = (2, 1, 0). Compute ⟨u, v ⟩ and
⟨u, u⟩. ⟨u, v ⟩ = 7, ⟨u, u⟩ = 36
4/13
Operations that are not inner products
Recall that the definition of weighted Euclidean inner products
specify that the weights must be positive real numbers.
Example
Let u = (u1 , u2 ) and v = (v1 , v2 ) be in R2 and defined ⟨u, v ⟩ as

⟨u, v ⟩ = −u1 v1 + u2 v2 .

Show that this operation is not an inner product on R2 .

⟨(3, 1), (3, 1)⟩ = −(3)(3) + (1)(1) = −8 ≱ 0

Example
For vectors u = (u1 , u2 ) and v = (v1 , v2 ) in R2 define

⟨u, v ⟩ = u12 + v12 .

Show that the operation defined above is not an inner product

on R2 . 2 ⟨(1, 1), (1, 1)⟩ = 2(12 + 12 ) = 4 while ⟨(2, 2), (1, 1)⟩ = 22 + 12 = 5.
5/13
The norm and the distance
Definition
If B is a real inner product space, then the norm (or length) of a vector
v in V is denoted by ||v || and is defined by
p
||v || = ⟨v , v ⟩,

and the distance between two vectors is denoted by d(u, v ) and is

defined by p
d(u, v ) = ||u − v || = ⟨u − v , u − v ⟩.
A vector of norm 1 is called a unit vector.

Example
Consider the weighted Euclidean inner product on R3 with weights
2, 1, 3. Let u = (2, −1, 3), v = (2, 1, 0) and w = ( √12 , 0, 0). Compute:
1 ||v || 3
√
2 d(u, v ) 31
3 ||w|| 1
6/13
Properties of the distance and the norm

Theorem
If u and v are vectors in a real inner product space V , and if k
is a scalar, then:
1 ||v || ≥ 0 with equality if, and only if, v = 0.
2 ||k v || = |k |||v ||.
3 d(u, v ) = d(v , u).
4 d(u, v ) ≥ 0 with equality if, and only if, u = v .

7/13
More examples of inner products

Example (An inner product on Mnn )

   
u u2 v v
Let U = 1 and V = 1 2 . Define ⟨U, V ⟩ = tr (U T V )
u3 u4 v3 v4
on the vector space M22 .
  
2 −1 −1 3
1 Compute . 3
3 2 4 −2
2 Show that ⟨U, V ⟩ = tr (U T V ) defines an inner product on
the vector space M22 .
 
2 −1 √
3 Compute ||A|| where A = . 18
3 2

8/13
More examples of inner products

Example (The standard inner product on Pn )

Let p = a0 + a1 x + a2 x 2 and q = b0 + b1 x + b2 x 2 . Define
⟨p, q⟩ = a0 b0 + a1 b1 + a2 b2 on P2 .
1 Compute 2 + 3x − 4x 2 , −1 − x . −5
2 Show that ⟨p, q⟩ = a0 b0 + a1 b1 + a2 b2 defines an inner
product on P2 .
3 Compute ||p|| where p = x 2 . 1

9/13
More examples of inner products

Example (The evaluation inner product on Pn )

Let p = a0 + a1 x + a2 x 2 and q = b0 + b1 x + b2 x 2 and let
x0 , x1 , x2 be distinct real numbers (called sample points). Define
⟨p, q⟩ = p(x0 )q(x0 ) + p(x1 )q(x1 ) + p(x2 )q(x2 ) on P2 (called the
evaluation inner product at x0 , x1 , x2 .)
1 Let x0 = 1, x1 = −1 and x2 = 0. Compute
2 + 3x − 4x 2 , −1 − x . −4
2 Show that ⟨p, q⟩ = p(x0 )q(x0 ) + p(x1 )q(x1 ) + p(x2 )q(x2 )
defines an inner product on P2 where x0 = 1, x1 = −1 and
x2 = 0.
3 Let x0 = 1, x1 = −1 and x2 = 0. Compute ||p|| where
p = x 2. 2

10/13
Matrix inner products
Definition
Let u and v be vectors in Rn that are expressed in column form,
and let A be an invertible n × n matrix. If u · v is the Euclidean
inner product on Rn , the

⟨u, v ⟩ = Au · Av = (Av )T Au

also defines an inner product — called the inner product on Rn

generated by A.

Example
1 Show that ⟨u, v ⟩ = 9u1 v1 + 4u2 v2+ u3 v3 isthe inner
3 0 0
product on R3 generated by A = 0 2 0
0 0 1
2 Use the inner product in part (a) to compute ⟨u, v ⟩ if
u = (2, −1, 3) and v = (2, 1, 0). 32
11/13
Properties of inner product

Theorem
If u, v and w are vectors in a real inner product space V , and if
k is a scalar, then:
1 0, v = v , 0 = 0.
2 ⟨u, v + w⟩ = ⟨u, v ⟩ + ⟨u, w⟩.
3 ⟨u, v − w⟩ = ⟨u, v ⟩ − ⟨u, w⟩.
4 ⟨u − v , w⟩ = ⟨u, w⟩ − ⟨v , w⟩.
5 k ⟨u, v ⟩ = ⟨u, k v ⟩.

12/13
Calculating with inner products

Example
√
Let ||u|| = 1, ||v || = 2, ||w|| = 3, ⟨u, v ⟩ = −1, ⟨u, w⟩ = 0 and
⟨v , w⟩ = 3. Compute:
1 ⟨v + w, 2u − v ⟩ −9
2 ⟨u − 2v − w, 3w − v ⟩ −15

13/13