4 Vector Spaces

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 Spanning Sets and Linear
4.4 Independence

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Objectives
▪ Write a linear combination of a set of vectors in a
vector space V.

▪ Determine whether a set S of vectors in a vector

space V is a spanning set of V.

▪ Determine whether a set of vectors in a vector

space V is linearly independent.

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Linear Combinations of Vectors in a
Vector Space

4
Linear Combinations of Vectors in a Vector Space (1 of 1)

Definition of a Linear Combination of Vectors

A vector v in a vector space V is a linear combination of
the vectors u1, u2, . . . , uk in V when v can be written in
the form
v = c1u1 + c2u2 + . . . + ckuk
where c1, c2, . . . , ck are scalars.

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Example 2 – Finding a Linear Combination

Write the vector w = (1, 1, 1) as a linear combination of

vectors in the set

Solution:
Find scalars c1, c2, and c3 such that
(1, 1, 1) = c1(1, 2, 3) + c2(0, 1, 2) + c3(−1, 0, 1)
= (c1, 2c1, 3c1) + (0, c2, 2c2) + (−c3, 0, c3)
= (c1 − c3, 2c1 + c2, 3c1 + 2c2 + c3).

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Example 2 – Solution (1 of 2)
Equating corresponding components yields the system of
linear equations below.

c1 − c3 = 1
2c1 + c2 =1
3c1 + 2c2 + c3 = 1

Using Gauss-Jordan elimination, the augmented matrix of

this system row reduces to

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Example 2 – Solution (2 of 2)
So, this system has infinitely many solutions, each of the
form
c1 = 1 + t, c2 = −1 − 2t, c3 = t.

To obtain one solution, you could let t = 1.

Then c3 = 1, c2 = −3, and c1 = 2, and you have

w = 2v1 − 3v2 + v3.

(Verify this.) Other choices for t would yield different ways to

write w as a linear combination of v1, v2, and v3.
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Spanning Sets

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Spanning Sets (1 of 3)
Definition of a Spanning Set of a Vector Space
Let S = {v1, v2, . . . , vk} be a subset of a vector space V.
The set S is a spanning set of V when every vector in V
can be written as a linear combination of vectors in S. In
such cases it is said that S spans V.

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Example 5 – A Spanning Set of R^3

Show that the set S = {(1, 2, 3), (0, 1, 2), (−2, 0, 1)} spans

Solution:

Let u = (u1, u2, u3) be any vector in Find scalars c1, c2,
and c3 such that

(u1, u2, u3) = c1(1, 2, 3) + c2(0, 1, 2) + c3(−2, 0, 1)

= (c1 − 2c3, 2c1 + c2, 3c1 + 2c2 + c3).

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Example 5 – Solution
This vector equation produces the system
c1 − 2c3 = u1
2c1 + c2 = u2
3c1 + 2c2 + c3 = u3.

The coefficient matrix of this system has a nonzero. The

system has a unique solution. So, any vector in
can be written as a linear combination of the vectors in S,
and you can conclude that the set S spans

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Spanning Set (2 of 3)
Definition of the Span of a Set
If S = {v1, v2, . . . , vk} is a set of vectors in a vector space
V, then the span of S is the set of all linear combinations
of the vectors in S,
span(S) = {c1v1 + c2v2 + . . . + ckvk : c1, c2, . . . , ck are real
numbers}.
The span of S is denoted by
span(S) or span{v1, v2, . . . , vk}.
When span(S) = V, it is said that V is spanned by {v1, v2, .
. . , vk}, or that S spans V.

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Spanning Set (3 of 3)
Theorem 4.7 Span(S) is a Subspace of V
If S = {v1, v2, . . . , vk} is a set of vectors in a vector space
V, then span(S) is a subspace of V.

Moreover, span(S) is the smallest subspace of V that

contains S, in the sense that every other subspace of V
that contains S must contain span(S).

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Linear Dependence and
Linear Independence

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Linear Dependence and Linear Independence (1 of 5)

Definition of Linear Dependence and Linear

Independence
A set of vectors S = {v1, v2, . . . , vk } in a vector space V is
linearly independent when the vector equation
c1v1 + c2v2 + . . . + ckvk = 0
has only the trivial solution
c1 = 0, c2 = 0, . . . , ck = 0.
If there are also nontrivial solutions, then S is linearly
dependent.

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Example 7 – Examples of Linearly Dependent Sets

a. The set S = {(1, 2), (2, 4)} in is linearly dependent

because
−2(1, 2) + (2, 4) = (0, 0).

b. The set S = {(1, 0), (0, 1), (−2, 5)} in is linearly

dependent because
2(1, 0) − 5(0, 1) + (−2, 5) = (0, 0).

c. The set S = {(0, 0), (1, 2)} in is linearly dependent

because
1(0, 0) + 0(1, 2) = (0, 0).

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Linear Dependence and Linear Independence (2 of 5)

Testing for Linear Independence and Linear

Dependence
Let S = {v1, v2, . . . , vk } be a set of vectors in a vector
space V. To determine whether S is linearly independent
or linearly dependent, use the steps below.
1. From the vector equation c1v1 + c2v2 + . . . + ckvk = 0,
write a system of linear equations in the variables
c1, c2, . . . , and ck.
2. Determine whether the system has a unique solution.

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Linear Dependence and Linear Independence (3 of 5)

Testing for Linear Independence and Linear

Dependence
3. If the system has only the trivial solution,
c1 = 0, c2 = 0, . . . , ck = 0, then the set S is linearly
independent. If the system also has nontrivial solutions,
then S is linearly dependent.

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Example 9 – Testing for Linear Independence

Determine whether the set of vectors in P2 is linearly

independent or linearly dependent.

Solution:
Expanding the equation c1v1 + c2v2 + c3v3 = 0 produces

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Example 9 – Solution (1 of 2)
Equating corresponding coefficients of powers of x yields
the homogeneous system of linear equations in c1, c2, and
c3 below.
c1 + 2c2 =0
c1 + 5c2 + c3 =0
−2c1 − c2 + c3 =0
The augmented matrix of this system reduces by Gaussian
elimination as shown below.

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Example 9 – Solution (2 of 2)
This implies that the system has infinitely many solutions.
So, the system must have nontrivial solutions, and you can
conclude that the set S is linearly dependent.
One nontrivial solution is
c1 = 2, c2 = −1, and c3 = 3
which yields the nontrivial linear combination

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Linear Dependence and Linear Independence (4 of 5)

Theorem 4.8 A Property of Linearly Dependent Sets

A set S = {v1, v2, . . . , vk}, k ≥ 2, is linearly dependent if
and only if at least one of the vectors vi can be written as a
linear combination of the other vectors in S.

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Example 12 – Writing a Vector as a Linear Combination of Other Vectors

In Example 9, you determined that the set

is linearly dependent. Show that one of the vectors in this set

can be written as a linear combination of the other two.
Solution:
In previous example, the equation c1v1 + c2v2 + c3v3 = 0
produced the system
c1 + 2c2 =0
c1 + 5c2 + c3 =0
−2c1 − c2 + c3 = 0.
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Example 12 – Solution
This system has infinitely many solutions represented by
c3 = 3t, c2 = −t, and c1 = 2t. Letting t = 1 results in the
equation 2v1 − v2 + 3v3 = 0. So, v2 can be written as a linear
combination of v1 and v3, as shown below.
v2 = 2v1 + 3v3
A check yields

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Linear Dependence and Linear Independence (5 of 5)

Theorem 4.8 Corollary

Two vectors u and v in a vector space V are linearly
dependent if and only if one is a scalar multiple of the other.

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Example 13 – Testing for Linear Dependence of Two Vectors (1 of 2)

a. The set S = {v1, v2} = {(1, 2, 0), (−2, 2, 1)} is linearly

independent because v1 and v2 are not scalar multiples
of each other, as shown in Figure 4.15(a).

S = {(1, 2, 0), (−2, 2, 1)}

The set S is linearly independent.
Figure 4.15(a)

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Example 13 – Testing for Linear Dependence of Two Vectors (2 of 2)

b. The set S = {v1, v2} = {(4, −4, −2), (−2, 2, 1)} is linearly
dependent because v1 = −2v2, as shown in
Figure 4.15(b).

S = {(4, −4, −2), (−2, 2, 1)}

The set S is linearly dependent.
Figure 4.15(b)

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