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Vector Spaces
A vector space consists of:
- A non-empty set of objects called vectors
- Two operations that must satisfy 10 axioms (assumptions):
- vector addition
- scalar multiplication
Vector Space Axioms
The operations and can be defined in any way as long as they satisfy the following:
- Closure
- must be in
- must be in
- Associativity
- Distributivity
- Commutativity
And the space must contain:
- Additive Identity
- A zero vector such that:
- Additive Inverse
- A negative vector such that:
- Multiplicative Identity
Real Vector Spaces
Vector spaces use component-wise addition and scalar multiplication.
Example
with:
Show that is the additive identity:
Show that is the additive inverse:
Abstract Vector Spaces
Abstract vector spaces are vector spaces that satisfy the 10 axioms, but they do not behave like real vector spaces.
Example
with operations:
Show that is the additive identity:
Show that is the additive inverse:
Show that is the multiplicative identity:

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Example: Additive Identity and Additive Inverse
Let be a vector space with the following operations:
Part A)
Find the zero vector in this vector space.
We are looking for a vector that satisfies the following equation:
Using the defined operation of vector addition we write this as:
These vectors are equal if and only if:
So in this vector space the zero vector is .
Part B)
Find the additive inverse, , of .
We are looking for a vector that satisfies the following equation (using the zero vector found in Part A):
Using the defined operation of vector addition, we write this as:
These vectors are equal if and only if:
So in this vector space the additive inverse of is:

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Example: Verifying Vector Space Axioms
Let and define the following operations:
Determine which of the following vector space axioms are satisfied.
A)
Let and , then:
Meanwhile:
Since , this axiom is satisfied.
B)
Meanwhile:
Since , this axiom is satisfied.
C)
Meanwhile:
Since, this axiom is not satisfied.
Practice: Verifying Vector Space Axioms
Let and define the following operations:
Determine which of the following vector space axioms, if any, are satisfied. [Select all that apply]
Practice: Finding the Additive Identity and Additive Inverse
Let with the following operations:
Find the zero vector, .