How Do I Prove Polynomials Span P2?

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The discussion focuses on proving that a set of polynomials spans the vector space P2. The user describes their approach using an augmented matrix derived from the polynomials p1 = 1 - x, p2 = 3 + x + 4x^2, p3 = 5 + 2x + 7x^2, and p4 = -1 + 5x + 4x^2. They note that the last row of the augmented matrix results in the equation z - x - y = 0, indicating a dependency among the polynomials. The conclusion is that further analysis of the augmented matrix is necessary to determine the span of the polynomials in P2.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of vector spaces and their properties
  • Familiarity with polynomial functions and their representation
  • Knowledge of matrix operations, specifically augmented matrices
  • Basic concepts of linear independence and dependence
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  • Study the process of row reduction for augmented matrices
  • Learn about the concept of linear combinations in vector spaces
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  • Review the video resources from 3blue1brown on linear algebra concepts
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Students of linear algebra, educators teaching vector spaces, and anyone seeking to understand polynomial spans in mathematical contexts.

HenryFa
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Hello everyone, I'm a CS student and I'm taking a course called Linear Algebra
it's very easy, but there is one thing that I'm not clearly understanding

i know how the general way to prove if given vectors span a vspace,
ex : v1,v2,v3 i put them in a Matrix form and prove the determinant Different than 0.
the logic I'm using is : k1V1 + k2V2 + K3V3 = W (W a vector in Vspace) i write it like this
(Coeff Matrix ) x (k1,k2,k3) = W
det of the coeff matrix can prove if the given vectors span

the thing is, when the coeff matrix is not Square, we cannot find the determinant
so we need to solve the augmented matrix.

in this case :
p1 = 1- x , p2 = 3 +x + 4x^2 , p3 = 5 + 2x + 7x^2 , p4 = -1+ 5x + 4x^2
i took w = (x,y,z) and to prove k1V1 + ... + k4V4 = W

to prove that these polynomials span (P2), the augmented matrix will have the last row like all zeros equal to z-x-y
what does it mean? how do i continue after that?
thanks!
 
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This youtuber, 3blue1brown has several nice linear algebra videos and this one may help with your understanding of span:

 

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