Proof of Linearly independence

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the proof of linear independence in vector spaces, specifically addressing the relationship between the number of vectors and their dimensionality. It is established that if there are more vectors than the dimension of the space (m), then the vectors are linearly dependent due to the presence of free variables. The conversation emphasizes that a basis for an m-dimensional vector space must consist of exactly m independent vectors, which cannot be achieved with more than m vectors. This conclusion is supported by the properties of a basis, which include spanning the space, independence, and having exactly m vectors.

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The problem is attached. I just wanted to see if the way I proved my statement is correct.

My answer: No, because there exists more columns than rows, thus at least one free variable always exists, thus these vectors are linearly dependent.
 

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You are right but, personally, I wouldn't phrase it in terms of "columns" and "rows" since nothing is said of matrices in the problem. Rather, I would not that Rm has dimension m so there is a basis containing m vectors. Every one of the n vectors in the set can be written in terms of the the m vectors in the basis so they cannot be independent.

(A basis for an m-dimensional vector space has three properties:
1) they span the space
2) they are independent
3) there are m vectors in the set
Any set containing fewer than m vectors cannot span the space, any set with more than m vectors cannot be independent.)
 

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