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Linear Algebra Subspaces Guide

The document discusses four fundamental subspaces associated with a matrix: the column space, nullspace, row space, and left nullspace. It then describes the basis and dimension of each subspace. Specifically, the column space has a basis of the pivot columns and dimension equal to the matrix rank. The nullspace has a basis of the free variables and dimension equal to the number of columns minus the rank. The row space and left nullspace have dimensions equal to the rank and number of rows/columns minus the rank, respectively. Finally, it provides an example of a matrix and calculates its subspaces.

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121 views4 pages

Linear Algebra Subspaces Guide

The document discusses four fundamental subspaces associated with a matrix: the column space, nullspace, row space, and left nullspace. It then describes the basis and dimension of each subspace. Specifically, the column space has a basis of the pivot columns and dimension equal to the matrix rank. The nullspace has a basis of the free variables and dimension equal to the number of columns minus the rank. The row space and left nullspace have dimensions equal to the rank and number of rows/columns minus the rank, respectively. Finally, it provides an example of a matrix and calculates its subspaces.

Uploaded by

GioGio2020
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The four fundamental subspaces

In this lecture we discuss the four fundamental spaces associated with a matrix
and the relations between them.

Four subspaces
Any m by n matrix A determines four subspaces (possibly containing only the
zero vector):
Column space, C ( A)
C ( A) consists of all combinations of the columns of A and is a vector space in
Rm .
Nullspace, N ( A)

This consists of all solutions x of the equation Ax = 0 and lies in Rn .

Row space, C ( A T )
The combinations of the row vectors of A form a subspace of Rn . We equate
this with C ( A T ), the column space of the transpose of A.
Left nullspace, N ( A T )

We call the nullspace of A T the left nullspace of A. This is a subspace of Rm .

Basis and Dimension


Column space
The r pivot columns form a basis for C ( A)
dim C ( A) = r.
Nullspace
The special solutions to Ax = 0 correspond to free variables and form a basis
for N ( A). An m by n matrix has n r free variables:
dim N ( A) = n r.

Row space
We could perform row reduction on A T , but instead we make use of R, the row
reduced echelon form of A.

1 2 3 1
1 0 1 1
I F
A = 1 1 2 1 0 1 1 0 =
=R
0 0
1 2 3 1
0 0 0 0
Although the column spaces of A and R are different, the row space of R is the
same as the row space of A. The rows of R are combinations of the rows of A,
and because reduction is reversible the rows of A are combinations of the rows
of R.
The rst r rows of R are the echelon basis for the row space of A:
dim C ( A T ) = r.
Left nullspace
The matrix A T has m columns. We just saw that r is the rank of A T , so the
number of free columns of A T must be m r:
dim N ( A T ) = m r.
The left nullspace is the collection of vectors y for which A T y = 0. Equiva
lently, y T A = 0; here y and 0 are row vectors. We say left nullspace because
y T is on the left of A in this equation.
To nd a basis for the left nullspace we reduce an augmented version of A:

Amn Imn Rmn Emn .


From this we get the matrix E for which EA = R. (If A is a square, invertible
matrix then E = A1 .) In our example,

1
2 0
1 2 3 1
1 0 1 1
EA = 1 1 0 1 1 2 1 = 0 1 1 0 = R.
1
0 1
1 2 3 1
0 0 0 0
The bottom m r rows of E describe linear dependencies of rows of A, because
the bottom m r rows of R are zero. Here m r = 1 (one zero row in R).
The bottom m r rows of E satisfy the equation y T A = 0 and form a basis
for the left nullspace of A.

New vector space


The collection of all 3 3 matrices forms a vector space; call it M. We can
add matrices and multiply them by scalars and theres a zero matrix (additive
identity). If we ignore the fact that we can multiply matrices by each other,
they behave just like vectors.
Some subspaces of M include:
2

all upper triangular matrices


all symmetric matrices
D, all diagonal matrices
D is the intersection of the rst two spaces. Its dimension is 3; one basis for D
is:

1 0 0
1 0 0
0 0 0

0 0 0 , 0 3 0 , 0 0 0 .

0 0 0
0 0 0
0 0 7

MIT OpenCourseWare
http://ocw.mit.edu

18.06SC Linear Algebra


Fall 2011

For information about citing these materials or our Terms of Use, visit: http://ocw.mit.edu/terms.

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