Proving that V is a Subspace of P4(x) and Calculating its Dimension

In summary, a subspace is a subset of a vector space that contains the zero vector and is closed under vector addition and scalar multiplication. To prove that a set is a subspace, it must satisfy these three conditions. P4(x) is the set of all polynomials of degree 4 or less with real coefficients, and it is a vector space because it satisfies the properties of a vector space. The dimension of a subspace can be calculated by finding the basis, which is a set of linearly independent vectors that span the subspace. A subspace cannot exist without the zero vector, as it is necessary for closure under vector addition.
  • #1
nautolian
34
0
1. Let V={(X^2+X+1)p(x) : p(x) [itex]\in[/itex] P2(x)}
Show that V is a subspace of P4(x). Display a basis, with a proof. What is the dimension of V?
2.
3. I started to try to figure out how to prove that V is a subspace of P4, but I'm not sure how.

To show that it is closed under addition:
p(x)=x^2 is in P2(x)
(x^2+x+1)(x^2)+(a^2+a+1)(a^2)
x^4+x^3+x^2+a^4+a^3+a^2 is in P4, because no exponent is greater than 4.

The zero vector is if p(x) = 0

And then I'm not sure how to show that multiplication is closed
 
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  • #2
Please don't remove the template text. You are removing all of it except the [ b ] tags, which makes all of what you enter bold.
nautolian said:
1. Let V={(X^2+X+1)p(x) : p(x) [itex]\in[/itex] P2(x)}
Show that V is a subspace of P4(x). Display a basis, with a proof. What is the dimension of V?



2.



3. I started to try to figure out how to prove that V is a subspace of P4, but I'm not sure how.

To show that it is closed under addition:
p(x)=x^2 is in P2(x)
Yes, but p(x) is supposed to represent any arbitrary function in P2(x), which could be a polynomial of degree 2 or degree 1, depending on how your text defines P2(x).

In any case you need to look at (x2 + x + 1)*p(x), where p(x) is some arbitrary polynomial in P2.
nautolian said:
(x^2+x+1)(x^2)+(a^2+a+1)(a^2)
?
nautolian said:
x^4+x^3+x^2+a^4+a^3+a^2 is in P4, because no exponent is greater than 4.

The zero vector is if p(x) = 0

And then I'm not sure how to show that multiplication is closed
That would be multiplication by a scalar.
 
  • #3
So I can prove it is closed under scalar multiplication by saying k(x^2+x+1)(ax^2+bx+c) is still in P4. Also would the basis be {x^4, x^3, x^2, x, 1} of dim(5)?
 
  • #4
nautolian said:
So I can prove it is closed under scalar multiplication by saying k(x^2+x+1)(ax^2+bx+c) is still in P4. Also would the basis be {x^4, x^3, x^2, x, 1} of dim(5)?

You have to prove three things :

1. V≠∅ or similarily, 0[itex]\in[/itex]V.
2. V is closed under addition.
3. V is closed under scalar multiplication.

Start by showing that 0 is in V because in most cases it will help you with part 2 and 3.
 
  • #5
Can't I just say that since 0 is in P2, then (x^2+x+1)(0)=0 is in P4?
Does how I proved scalar multiplication before work?
To prove scalar addition can't I say that (x^2+x+1)(ax^2+bx+c)+(x^2+x+1)(ex^2+fx+g) is still in P4? Thanks for your help. But I also just want to double check with that basis and dim(5) that i stated earlier to see if that's right?
 
  • #6
nautolian said:
Can't I just say that since 0 is in P2, then (x^2+x+1)(0)=0 is in P4?
Does how I proved scalar multiplication before work?
To prove scalar addition can't I say that (x^2+x+1)(ax^2+bx+c)+(x^2+x+1)(ex^2+fx+g) is still in P4? Thanks for your help. But I also just want to double check with that basis and dim(5) that i stated earlier to see if that's right?

Yes, dim(P4) = 5. In fact, you can say in general that dim(Pn) = n+1.

Now as for your question. I want to make sure that I know what you're asking.

V={(x2+x+1)p(x) | p(x) ∈ P2}
Show that V is a subspace of P4. Display a basis, with a proof. What is the dimension of V?

Fixed that up a bit so I could be more clear. Is this correct?
 
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  • #7
yes that is is correct, thanks
 
  • #8
So V is the set containing all polynomials of the form (x2+x+1)p(x) where p(x) is a polynomial of degree of at most 2.

So any general p(x) has the form ax2 + bx + c and any general element in V has the form (x2 + x + 1)(ax2 + bx + c).

Indeed to show V≠∅, argue that the zero polynomial of P4... ( I'll leave this to you ).

To show additive closure, pick two arbitrary polynomials in V, (x2 + x + 1)(ax2 + bx + c) and (x2 + x + 1)(dx2 + ex + f) and show that their sum must also lie inside V.

To show scalar closure, pick an arbitrary polynomial in V, (x2 + x + 1)(ax2 + bx + c) and some arbitrary scalar in ℂ and show that even after multiplying them together, the product must still be inside V.
 
  • #9
nautolian said:
So I can prove it is closed under scalar multiplication by saying k(x^2+x+1)(ax^2+bx+c) is still in P4. Also would the basis be {x^4, x^3, x^2, x, 1} of dim(5)?

Multiply out (x^2+x+1)(ax^2+bx+c). The subspace CAN'T be five dimensional. It only has 3 free parameters! Write it as a*(...)+b*(...)+c*(...). Fill in the (...).
 
  • #10
How can it not be five dimensional if you multiply it out you get:

a(x^4+x^3+x^2)+b(X^3+x^2+x)+c(x^2+x+1)

Wait. so you can use that as a basis. I see, thanks a lot. Just out of curiosity though, how would you prove that the zero vector exists.
 
  • #11
Take a= b= c= 0 so that (x^2+x+1)p(x)= (x^2+ x+ 1)(0x^2+ 0x+ 0)= 0, of course.
 

1. What is a subspace?

A subspace is a subset of a vector space that satisfies three conditions: it contains the zero vector, it is closed under vector addition, and it is closed under scalar multiplication.

2. How can you prove that V is a subspace?

To prove that V is a subspace, you need to show that it satisfies the three conditions mentioned above. This can be done by showing that the zero vector is in V, any two vectors added together in V remain in V, and any vector multiplied by a scalar in V remains in V.

3. What is P4(x)?

P4(x) is the set of all polynomials of degree 4 or less with real coefficients. It is a vector space because it satisfies the properties of a vector space, such as closure under addition and scalar multiplication.

4. How do you calculate the dimension of a subspace?

The dimension of a subspace is equal to the number of linearly independent vectors that span the subspace. This can be calculated by finding the basis of the subspace, which is a set of linearly independent vectors that span the subspace.

5. Can V be a subspace if it does not contain the zero vector?

No, a subspace must contain the zero vector in order to satisfy the first condition of being closed under vector addition. If the zero vector is not present, then it is not possible to perform vector addition on any two vectors in the subspace.

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