Identities of the optimal approximation

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the identities of optimal approximation in the context of Euclidean spaces, particularly focusing on the representation of vectors in terms of orthogonal unit vectors. Participants explore mathematical expressions related to the norm of approximations and the properties of dot products.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Mathematical reasoning
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant presents the formula for the optimal approximation of a vector in a Euclidean space using orthogonal unit vectors.
  • Another participant questions the notation used in summations, specifically why different indices are employed in the sums.
  • A participant explains that using different indices in the summations is necessary to account for all combinations of terms in the product.
  • Several participants express confusion regarding the transition between different mathematical expressions and the properties of dot products.
  • One participant highlights a misunderstanding regarding the distinction between vectors and scalars in the context of dot products.
  • Another participant attempts to clarify the notation and corrects the representation of vectors in the equations.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying levels of understanding regarding the mathematical expressions and properties discussed. There is no clear consensus on the notation and the implications of the mathematical identities presented.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference properties of dot products and the manipulation of summations, but there are unresolved questions about the correctness of certain expressions and the definitions of terms used.

mathmari
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Hey! :o

I am looking at the identities of the optimal approximation.

At the case where the basis consists of orthogonal unit vectors,the optimal approximation $y \in \widetilde{H} \subset H$, where $H$ an euclidean space, of $x \in H$ from $\widetilde{H}$ can be written $y=(x,e_1) e_1 + (x,e_2) e_2 +... +(x,e_n)e_n$.

$||y||^2=(y,y)=$ $(\sum_{i=1}^n{(x,e_i)e_i}, \sum_{j=1}^n{(x,e_j)e_j)} $ $=\sum_{i,j=1}^n{(x,e_i)(x,e_j)(e_i,e_j)}=\sum_{i,j=1}^n{(x,e_i)(x,e_j) \delta_{ij}}=\sum_{i=1}^n{(x,e_i)^2}$

So $||y||^2=\sum_{i=1}^n{(x,e_i)^2}$, it's the generalized pythagorean theorem.

My question is, why do we take at the one sum $i$ and at the other $j$. Why do we not take at both sums $i$?
 
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mathmari said:
Hey! :o

I am looking at the identities of the optimal approximation.

At the case where the basis consists of orthogonal unit vectors,the optimal approximation $y \in \widetilde{H} \subset H$, where $H$ an euclidean space, of $x \in H$ from $\widetilde{H}$ can be written $y=(x,e_1) e_1 + (x,e_2) e_2 +... +(x,e_n)e_n$.

$||y||^2=(y,y)=$ $(\sum_{i=1}^n{(x,e_i)e_i}, \sum_{j=1}^n{(x,e_j)e_j)} $ $=\sum_{i,j=1}^n{(x,e_i)(x,e_j)(e_i,e_j)}=\sum_{i,j=1}^n{(x,e_i)(x,e_j) \delta_{ij}}=\sum_{i=1}^n{(x,e_i)^2}$

So $||y||^2=\sum_{i=1}^n{(x,e_i)^2}$, it's the generalized pythagorean theorem.

My question is, why do we take at the one sum $i$ and at the other $j$. Why do we not take at both sums $i$?

Hi! :)

That's in preparation for the next step.

Each summation contains $n$ terms.
If we multiply the 2 summations we get a new summation with $n^2$ terms, where each term of the first summation (the i'th term) is multiplied by each term of the second summation (the j'th term).
In particular we are not merely multiplying each i'th term by the corresponding i'th term.
 
I like Serena said:
Hi! :)

That's in preparation for the next step.

Each summation contains $n$ terms.
If we multiply the 2 summations we get a new summation with $n^2$ terms, where each term of the first summation (the i'th term) is multiplied by each term of the second summation (the j'th term).
In particular we are not merely multiplying each i'th term by the corresponding i'th term.

Aha! I understand it now! Thank you for the explanation! (Smirk)
 
mathmari said:
$||y||^2=(y,y)=$ $(\sum_{i=1}^n{(x,e_i)e_i}, \sum_{j=1}^n{(x,e_j)e_j)} $ $=\sum_{i,j=1}^n{(x,e_i)(x,e_j)(e_i,e_j)}=\sum_{i,j=1}^n{(x,e_i)(x,e_j) \delta_{ij}}=\sum_{i=1}^n{(x,e_i)^2}$

I got stuck right now... Could you explain me how we get from the relation:

$$(\sum_{i=1}^n{(x,e_i)e_i}, \sum_{j=1}^n{(x,e_j)e_j)} $$

to the relation:

$$\sum_{i,j=1}^n{(x,e_i)(x,e_j)(e_i,e_j)}$$

?? (Wondering)
 
mathmari said:
I got stuck right now... Could you explain me how we get from the relation:

$$(\sum_{i=1}^n{(x,e_i)e_i}, \sum_{j=1}^n{(x,e_j)e_j)} $$

to the relation:

$$\sum_{i,j=1}^n{(x,e_i)(x,e_j)(e_i,e_j)}$$

?? (Wondering)

A real-valued dot product has the property that $(a+b,c)=(a,c)+(b,c)$ and $(a,b+c)=(a,b)+(a,c)$.

And also that $(\lambda a, b) = \lambda (a,b)$ respectively $(a, \lambda b) = \lambda (a,b)$.

Therefore:
$$(\sum_{i=1}^n{(x,e_i)e_i}, \sum_{j=1}^n{(x,e_j)e_j)} = \sum_{i=1}^n \sum_{j=1}^n ({(x,e_i)e_i},{(x,e_j)e_j})
= \sum_{i=1}^n \sum_{j=1}^n(x,e_i)(x,e_j) (e_i,e_j)$$
(Mmm)
 
I like Serena said:
A real-valued dot product has the property that $(a+b,c)=(a,c)+(b,c)$ and $(a,b+c)=(a,b)+(a,c)$.

And also that $(\lambda a, b) = \lambda (a,b)$ respectively $(a, \lambda b) = \lambda (a,b)$.

Therefore:
$$(\sum_{i=1}^n{(x,e_i)e_i}, \sum_{j=1}^n{(x,e_j)e_j)} = \sum_{i=1}^n \sum_{j=1}^n ({(x,e_i)e_i},{(x,e_j)e_j})
= \sum_{i=1}^n \sum_{j=1}^n(x,e_i)(x,e_j) (e_i,e_j)$$
(Mmm)

(Thinking)

We get the following relation from the identity $(a+b,c)=(a,c)+(b,c)$ and $(a,b+c)=(a,b)+(a,c)$, right??
$$(\sum_{i=1}^n{(x,e_i)e_i}, \sum_{j=1}^n{(x,e_j)e_j)} = \sum_{i=1}^n \sum_{j=1}^n ({(x,e_i)e_i},{(x,e_j)e_j}) $$But I still don't understand why this is equal to
$$\sum_{i=1}^n \sum_{j=1}^n(x,e_i)(x,e_j) (e_i,e_j)$$

(Worried)(Doh)

Do we use here the other identity, $(\lambda a, b) = \lambda (a,b)$ , $(a, \lambda b) = \lambda (a,b)$??

Is $\lambda$, in this case, $e_i$ and $e_j$ ??

(Wondering)

But why isn't it then as followed??

$\displaystyle{\sum_{i=1}^n \sum_{j=1}^n ({(x,e_i)e_i},{(x,e_j)e_j})=\sum_{i=1}^n \sum_{j=1}^n e_i e_j ({(x,e_i)},{(x,e_j)})}$
 
It seems there is some confusion about vectors versus scalars. (Wasntme)

The symbols $e_i$ and $e_j$ represent vectors, so it would be better to write them as $\overrightarrow{e_i}$ and $\overrightarrow{e_j}$
Their dot product $(\overrightarrow{e_i}, \overrightarrow{e_j})$ is a scalar.When you write:
$$\sum_{i=1}^n \sum_{j=1}^n e_i e_j ({(x,e_i)},{(x,e_j)})$$
that is actually:
$$\sum_{i=1}^n \sum_{j=1}^n \overrightarrow{e_i} \overrightarrow{e_j} \left({(\overrightarrow x,\overrightarrow{e_i})},{(\overrightarrow{x},\overrightarrow{e_j})}\right)$$However, the expression $\overrightarrow{e_i} \overrightarrow{e_j}$ is not defined. :eek:
Only their dot product $(\overrightarrow{e_i}, \overrightarrow{e_j})$ is properly defined.Similarly $\left({(\overrightarrow x,\overrightarrow{e_i})},{(\overrightarrow{x},\overrightarrow{e_j})}\right)$ is not defined.
We are not supposed to take the dot product of 2 scalars. :eek:
 
I like Serena said:
It seems there is some confusion about vectors versus scalars. (Wasntme)

The symbols $e_i$ and $e_j$ represent vectors, so it would be better to write them as $\overrightarrow{e_i}$ and $\overrightarrow{e_j}$
Their dot product $(\overrightarrow{e_i}, \overrightarrow{e_j})$ is a scalar.When you write:
$$\sum_{i=1}^n \sum_{j=1}^n e_i e_j ({(x,e_i)},{(x,e_j)})$$
that is actually:
$$\sum_{i=1}^n \sum_{j=1}^n \overrightarrow{e_i} \overrightarrow{e_j} \left({(\overrightarrow x,\overrightarrow{e_i})},{(\overrightarrow{x},\overrightarrow{e_j})}\right)$$However, the expression $\overrightarrow{e_i} \overrightarrow{e_j}$ is not defined. :eek:
Only their dot product $(\overrightarrow{e_i}, \overrightarrow{e_j})$ is properly defined.Similarly $\left({(\overrightarrow x,\overrightarrow{e_i})},{(\overrightarrow{x},\overrightarrow{e_j})}\right)$ is not defined.
We are not supposed to take the dot product of 2 scalars. :eek:

Ahaa... (Wasntme)

So is it as followed?? (Thinking)

$$(\sum_{i=1}^n{(x,\overrightarrow{e_i})\overrightarrow{e_i}}, \sum_{j=1}^n{(x,\overrightarrow{e_j})\overrightarrow{e_j})} =

\sum_{i=1}^n \sum_{j=1}^n ({(x,\overrightarrow{e_i})\overrightarrow{e_i}},{(x,\overrightarrow{e_j})\overrightarrow{e_j}}) =

\sum_{i=1}^n \sum_{j=1}^n (x,\overrightarrow{e_i}) (\overrightarrow{e_i},{(x,\overrightarrow{e_j})\overrightarrow{e_j}}) = \\

\sum_{i=1}^n \sum_{j=1}^n (x,\overrightarrow{e_i}) (x,\overrightarrow{e_j})(\overrightarrow{e_i},{\overrightarrow{e_j}}) $$
 
mathmari said:
Ahaa... (Wasntme)

So is it as followed?? (Thinking)

$$(\sum_{i=1}^n{(x,\overrightarrow{e_i})\overrightarrow{e_i}}, \sum_{j=1}^n{(x,\overrightarrow{e_j})\overrightarrow{e_j})} =

\sum_{i=1}^n \sum_{j=1}^n ({(x,\overrightarrow{e_i})\overrightarrow{e_i}},{(x,\overrightarrow{e_j})\overrightarrow{e_j}}) =

\sum_{i=1}^n \sum_{j=1}^n (x,\overrightarrow{e_i}) (\overrightarrow{e_i},{(x,\overrightarrow{e_j})\overrightarrow{e_j}}) = \\

\sum_{i=1}^n \sum_{j=1}^n (x,\overrightarrow{e_i}) (x,\overrightarrow{e_j})(\overrightarrow{e_i},{\overrightarrow{e_j}}) $$

Yep! (Sun)

Erm... except that $x$ is also a vector... so that should be $\overrightarrow x$. (Lipssealed)
 
  • #10
I like Serena said:
Yep! (Sun)

Erm... except that $x$ is also a vector... so that should be $\overrightarrow x$. (Lipssealed)

Oh yes, you're right! (Wasntme)(Blush)

Thank you very much! (Clapping)
 

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