Finding a Basis by Finding Minimal Spanning Set Let v1, v2, ,vm be vectors in !n.

. Then the span of v1, v2, ,vm is the set S= S[v1, v2, ,vm] = {a1v1 + + amvm | a1, ,am real numbers}. We want to find the smallest subset of {v1, v2, ,vm} that also spans S. We see that if v1 = 0, it can be removed from any spanning set since 0 can add nothing to any sum of the form a 1 v 1 + + am v m . Now we need to know how we can manipulate the set {v1, v2, ,vm} and not change its spanning properties. PROPOSITION 1. Let a be a nonzero number. Then S[v1, v2, ,vm] = S[v1 + av2, v2, ,vm] and S[v1, v2, ,vm] = S[av1, v2, ,vm] PROOF. As with the elementary operations on matrices the operation that takes the set S[v1, v2, ,vm] into the set S[v1 + av2, v2, ,vm] is reversable. Specifically, we need to show that w is in S[v1, v2, ,vm] implies w is in S[v1 + av2, v2, ,vm] and vice verse. First let w be in S[v1, v2, ,vm]; then w has the form w = b1 v 1 + b2 v 2 + + bm v m for suitable b1, , bm in !. Then we can also write w = b1(v1 + av2) + (b2 - ab1)v2 + + bmvm and this shows that w is in S[v1 + av2, v2, ,vm] . The statement that w in S[v1 + av2, v2, ,vm] implies w in S[v1, v2, ,vm] is similar. The second statement of the proposition is similar. Q.E.D. PROPOSITION 2. The minimal spanning set for a subspace is a basis. PROOF. Let v1, , vm be a minimal spanning set for the subspace S. To show that v1, , vm is a basis, we need to show that v1, , vm is a linearly independent set since it is already spanning. Suppose that a1v1 + + amvm = 0. We must show a1 = = am = 0 in order to show that v1, , vm are linearly independent. We show that we contradict the hypothesis of minimal spanning set if one of the coefficients ai " 0. If say a1 " 0, then and v1 = -( a1)-1(a2v2 + amvm)

S = S[v1, , vm] # S[v2, , vm] and thus v1, , vm is not a minimal spanning set. This is a contradiction. So a minimal spanning set must be linearly independent and a consequently must be a basis. Now we can see how to get a basis, i.e., a minimal spanning set, from a given spanning set v1, , vm of S. EXAMPLE. Let

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1 1 -3 2 v1 = , v2 = , v3 = 4 1 2 3 We write these vectors as columns in the matrix A. matrix to get 1 1 1 -3 2 2 A= 4 1 1 2 3 -1 Now we do Gaussian elimination on this matrix as

1 3 2 1 , v4 = . 1 6 -1 4 We then do Gaussian elimination on the 3 1 6 4

1 1 1 3 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 3 0 5 5 10 0 1 1 2 0 1 1 2 -3 2 2 1 A= = B. $ $ $ 0 3 3 6 0 1 3 2 0 0 4 0 4 1 1 6 0 1 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 -1 4 Call the final matrix B. Then we can write % 1 B 1 + %2 & 2 + %3 & 3 + %4 & 4 = 0 with %4 " 0. Recall Bi is column i of B. Here we have just solved the homogeneous equations Bx = 0 with xi = %i with %4 " 0. But now we have that EA = B where E is an invertible (product of elementary) matrices that produce the Gaussian operations. So we have also solved Ax = 0 with xi = %i since A% = E-1B% = 0 with % = (%1, , %4). So we have that 3 1 1 = 6 %1 4 So 1 1 1 3 -3 2 2 1 in S , , 4 1 1 6 2 3 -1 4 So we have that 1 1 1 -3 2 2 + %2 + %3 %1 4 1 1 2 3 -1 .

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1 1 1 -3 2 2 , , 4 1 1 2 3 -1 also spans S and is a smaller spanning set. Now we can repeat the process on the smaller spanning set. But we have already done the Gaussian operations. All we need to do is cross out the missing column to get 1 -3 4 2 The vectors 1 1 1 2 2 -3 , , 1 1 4 3 -1 2 are linearly independent and seen to be a linearly independent spanning set, i.e., a basis. SUMMARY To find a basis of a subspace where a spanning set is known, set the spanning set in the columns of a matrix. Take the matrix down to echelon form with Gaussian elimination. The columns of the original matrix corresponding to the columns of the echelon matrix where the pivots occur form the basis. In our case, the original matrix and the echelon form were respectively 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 3 -3 2 2 1 0 1 1 2 and . 4 1 1 6 0 0 4 0 2 3 -1 4 0 0 0 0 The pivots of the echelon form were in columns 1, 2, 3 and so columns 1, 2, 3 of the original matrix 1 1 1 -3 2 2 , , 4 1 1 2 3 -1 forms the basis. 1 1 2 2 $ 1 1 3 -1 1 1 1 0 5 5 $ 0 3 3 0 1 3 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 $ 1 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 . 0 4 0 0

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