Math Problem Statement

Consider a subspace W={(x1,x2,x3,x4,x5) ∣ 10x1+6x5=0 and 10x2+10x4=0} of R5. The dimension of W is

Solution

We are given the subspace W={(x1,x2,x3,x4,x5)R510x1+6x5=0,10x2+10x4=0}W = \{(x_1, x_2, x_3, x_4, x_5) \in \mathbb{R}^5 \mid 10x_1 + 6x_5 = 0, 10x_2 + 10x_4 = 0\}, which is defined by two linear equations:

  1. 10x1+6x5=010x_1 + 6x_5 = 0
  2. 10x2+10x4=010x_2 + 10x_4 = 0

Step 1: Solve the system of equations

Let's analyze these constraints:

From the first equation 10x1+6x5=010x_1 + 6x_5 = 0:

x1=35x5x_1 = -\frac{3}{5} x_5 Thus, x1x_1 depends on x5x_5.

From the second equation 10x2+10x4=010x_2 + 10x_4 = 0:

x2=x4x_2 = -x_4 So, x2x_2 depends on x4x_4.

Step 2: Express the general form of the vectors in WW

Now, we can express a vector in WW as:

(x1,x2,x3,x4,x5)=(35x5,x4,x3,x4,x5)(x_1, x_2, x_3, x_4, x_5) = \left(-\frac{3}{5} x_5, -x_4, x_3, x_4, x_5 \right)

Here, the components x3x_3, x4x_4, and x5x_5 are free variables, so we can represent any vector in WW as a linear combination of three independent vectors corresponding to these free variables:

v(x3,x4,x5)=x3(0,1,1,0,0)+x4(35,1,0,1,0)+x5(35,0,0,0,1)\mathbf{v}(x_3, x_4, x_5) = x_3 \left( 0, -1, 1, 0, 0 \right) + x_4 \left( -\frac{3}{5}, -1, 0, 1, 0 \right) + x_5 \left( -\frac{3}{5}, 0, 0, 0, 1 \right)

Thus, we have three free variables x3x_3, x4x_4, and x5x_5, implying that the subspace WW is spanned by three independent vectors. Therefore, the dimension of WW is 3.

Conclusion:

The dimension of WW is 3\boxed{3}.

Would you like further details or have any questions? Here are some related questions you might find interesting:

  1. What is the rank of the matrix that represents the system of equations for WW?
  2. How do the constraints affect the nullity of a matrix?
  3. What is the geometric interpretation of a subspace defined by linear equations?
  4. How can you check if a set of vectors is linearly independent?
  5. What would happen if the equations defining WW were different?

Tip: When working with subspaces defined by linear equations, always check the number of free variables to determine the dimension.

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Math Problem Analysis

Mathematical Concepts

Linear Algebra
Subspaces
Dimension of a Subspace
Systems of Linear Equations
Linear Combinations

Formulas

10x1 + 6x5 = 0
10x2 + 10x4 = 0
x1 = -3/5 * x5
x2 = -x4

Theorems

Rank-Nullity Theorem
Dimension Theorem

Suitable Grade Level

College Level (Linear Algebra)