Ergün Yaraneri

MAT 261E
yaraneri@itu.edu.tr

Some Solved Problems

Problem 1. Show that B = {(1, 1, 1, 1), (1, 1, 1, 0), (1, 1, 0, 0), (1, 0, 0, 0)} is a basis for R4 .

Solution: We need to show two things, firstly B spans R4 , and secondly B is linearly independent.

B spans R4 : Take an arbitrary vector (a, b, c, d) of R4 . We try to write it as a linear combination of vectors
in B. For this end, let

c1 (1, 1, 1, 1) + c2 (1, 1, 1, 0) + c3 (1, 1, 0, 0) + c4 (1, 0, 0, 0) = (a, b, c, d).

The left hand side of the above vector equation is equal to

(c1 + c2 + c3 + c4 , c1 + c2 + c3 , c1 + c2 , c1 ).

Hence, we must have that

(c1 + c2 + c3 + c4 , c1 + c2 + c3 , c1 + c2 , c1 ) = (a, b, c, d),

which implies that

c1 = d, c2 = c − c1 = c − d c3 = b − c1 − c2 = b − c, c4 = a − c1 − c2 − c3 = a − b.

As a result we observed an arbitrary vector (a, b, c, d) of R4 can be written as a linear combination of vectors in
B in the following way:

d(1, 1, 1, 1) + (c − d)(1, 1, 1, 0) + (b − c)(1, 1, 0, 0) + (a − b)(1, 0, 0, 0) = (a, b, c, d).

Therefore, B spans R4 .

B is linearly independent: Consider the vector equation

c1 (1, 1, 1, 1) + c2 (1, 1, 1, 0) + c3 (1, 1, 0, 0) + c4 (1, 0, 0, 0) = (0, 0, 0, 0).

The left hand side of the above vector equation is equal to

(c1 + c2 + c3 + c4 , c1 + c2 + c3 , c1 + c2 , c1 ).

Hence, we must have that

(c1 + c2 + c3 + c4 , c1 + c2 + c3 , c1 + c2 , c1 ) = (0, 0, 0, 0),

which implies that

c1 = 0, c2 = −c1 = 0 c3 = −c1 − c2 = 0, c4 = −c1 − c2 − c3 = 0.
As a result we observed the only solution of the vector equation

c1 (1, 1, 1, 1) + c2 (1, 1, 1, 0) + c3 (1, 1, 0, 0) + c4 (1, 0, 0, 0) = (0, 0, 0, 0)

is the zero solution c1 = c2 = c3 = c4 = 0. Thus, B is linearly independent.

Problem 2. Find a basis for the subspace W = {(a, b, c) ∈ R3 : 3a + 2b − c = 0} of R3 .

 Ergün Yaraneri
MAT 261E
yaraneri@itu.edu.tr

Solution:

(a, b, c) ∈ W ⇐⇒ (a, b, c) = (a, b, 3a + 2b) = (a, 0, 3a) + (0, b, 2b) = a(1, 0, 3) + b(0, 1, 2) where a, b ∈ R.

Therefore, the set W is equal to the span of the vectors (1, 0, 3) and (0, 1, 2), in other words, W = span{(1, 0, 3), (0, 1, 2)}
so that they span W. Moreover, as the two vectors (1, 0, 3) and (0, 1, 2) are not proportional, they are linearly
independent.
Consequently, the set {(1, 0, 3), (0, 1, 2)} is a basis for W.

Problem 3. Let M2×2 be the vector space of all 2 × 2 matrices whose entries are real numbers. Let V = {A ∈
M2×2 : AT = A}, which is a subspace of M2×2 .

(a) Find a basis for V.

   
2 2 0 3
(b) Is there a basis for V containing and . Explain your answer. (You are not required to find
2 0 3 3
such a basis).

 
a b
Solution: (a): Let A = be an arbitrary element of M2×2 . Then, A ∈ V ⇐⇒ AT = A, equivalently
c d
b = c. Hence,        
a b 1 0 0 1 0 0
A ∈ V ⇐⇒ A = =a +b +d
b d 0 0 1 0 0 1
     
1 0 0 1 0 0
Therefore, V = span{ , , }. Furthermore, the matrices B1 , B2 , B3 are linearly indepen-
0 0 1 0 0 1
| {z } | {z } | {z }
B1 B2 B3
dent: To see this consider the vector equation

c1 B1 + c2 B2 + c3 B3 = 02×2
       
1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
c1 + c2 + c3 =
0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0
   
c1 c2 0 0
=
c2 c3 0 0

Thus, c1 = c2 = c3 = 0. As B1 , B2 , B3 are linearly independent and as they span V, it follows that they form a
basis for V.      
1 0 0 1 0 0
Thus, the set { , , } is a basis for V.
0 0 1 0 0 1
   
2 2 0 3
(b): First note that the matrices and are linearly independent because they are not propor-
2 0 3 3
tional. Note also that they are both in V. Hence, one may find a basis for V containing the given matrices.

Problem 4. Show that the subset S = {(1, 0, 0, 1), (0, 1, 0, 0), (1, 1, 1, 1), (0, 1, 1, 1)} of R4 is a basis for R4 .

Solution: Since dim(R4 ) = 4 and since S contains 4 elements, S is a basis of R4 ⇐⇒ S spans R4 ⇐⇒ S is

linearly independent. Consequently, to show that S is a basis it suffices to demonstrate either that S spans R4 or
that S is linearly independent.
 Ergün Yaraneri
MAT 261E
yaraneri@itu.edu.tr

S is linearly independent if and only if the homogeneous linear system with augmented matrix
 
1 0 1 0 0
 0 1 1 1 0 
 
 0 0 1 1 0 
1 0 1 1 0

has no nontrivial solutions. We reduce the augmented matrix to the echelon matrix
 
1 0 1 0 0
 0 1 1 1 0 
−R1 + R4 → R4   0 0 1 1 0 .


0 0 0 1 0

So the system has no free variables implying that the system has no nontrivial solutions. Thus S is linearly
independent and hence S is a basis of R4 .

Problem 5. Which of the following subsets of R4 are bases for R4 ?

S1 = {(1, −1, 0, 2), (3, −1, 2, 1), (1, 0, 0, 1)}

S2 = {(0, 0, 1, 1), (−1, 1, 1, 2), (1, 1, 0, 0), (2, 1, 2, 1)}

S3 = {(−2, 4, 6, 4), (0, 1, 2, 0), (−1, 3, 4, 5), (6, 0, 1, 1), (4, 3, 2, 1)}

Solution:
S1 is not a basis of R4 because it can not span R4 (as dim(R4 ) = 4 > 3 = the number of elements in S1 ).
S3 is not a basis of R4 because it can not be linearly independent (as dim(R4 ) = 4 < 5 = the number of
elements in S3 ).
S2 is linearly independent if and only if the homogeneous linear system with augmented matrix
 
0 −1 1 2 0
 0 1 1 1 0 
 
 1 1 0 2 0 
1 2 0 1 0

has no nontrivial solution. We reduce the augmented matrix as follows;

   
0 −1 1 2 0 0 0 1 1 0
 R3 + R2 → R2
 0 1 1 1 0   0 0 1 2 0 
−R4 + R3 → R3   0 −1 0 1 0  −R3 + R1 → R1

 0 −1 0

1 0 
1 2 0 1 0 1 2 0 1 0
 
0 0 0 −1 0
 0 0 1 2 0 
−R2 + R1 → R1  0 −1 0

1 0 
1 2 0 1 0
Hence the system has no nontrivial solutions (because there is no free variables). This shows that S2 is linearly
independent.
Consequently, S2 is a basis of R4 because the number of elements of S2 is equal to dim(V ) and because S2 is
linearly independent.
 Ergün Yaraneri
MAT 261E
yaraneri@itu.edu.tr

Problem 6. Consider the following subsets of the space P3 :

S1 = {−X 2 + X + 2, 2X 2 + 2X + 3, 4X 2 − 1}

S2 = {X 2 + 5, 2X 2 + 3X, 6X 2 + 8X − 3, X 2 + X + 2}
S3 = {X 2 + 2X − 1, 2X 2 + 5X − 7}
S4 = {X 2 + 2X + 3, X 2 + 1, X 2 + X + 1}

(a) Which of the above sets are bases of P3 ?

(b) Which of the above sets are linearly independent?

(c) Which of the above sets span P3 ?

Solution: Since dim(P3 ) = 3, any basis of P3 must contain 3 elements. This shows immediately that the sets S2
and S3 are not bases of P3 .
S1 is linearly independent ⇐⇒ the homogeneous system with augmented matrix
 
−1 2 4 0
 1 2 0 0 
2 3 −1 0

has no nontrivial solutions. We reduce the augmented matrix as;

   
−1 2 4 0 −1 2 4 0
R1 + R2 → R2  7
0 4 4 0  − R2 + R3 → R3  0 4 4 0  .
2R1 + R3 → R3 4
0 7 7 0 0 0 0 0

Thus, the system has nontrivial solutions. This shows that S1 is not linearly independent. We also see from the
last matrix that its third column C3 can be written as a linear combination of its first column C1 and its second
column C2 as C3 = −2C1 + C2 . This means that the polynomial in the set S1 that corresponds  the respective
2 2 2
columns of the augmented matrix satisfies: (4X − 1) = −2(−X + X + 2) + (2X + 2X + 3) .
Consequently, S1 is not a basis of P3 because it is not linearly independent.
S4 spans P3 ⇐⇒ for any polynomial aX 2 + bX + C in P3 the linear system with augmented matrix
 
1 1 1 a
 2 0 1 b 
3 1 1 c

is consistent. We reduce the augmented matrix;

   
1 1 1 a 1 1 1 a
−2R1 + R2 → R2 
0 −2 −1 (b − 2a)  − R3 + R2 → R2  0 0 1 (a − b − c)  .
−3R1 + R3 → R3
0 −3 −2 (c − 3a) 0 −3 −2 (c − 3a)

Thus the system is consistent. This shows that S4 spans P3 .

Consequently, S4 is a basis of P3 because it has 3 elements (which is equal to dim(V )) and because it spans
P3 .
(a): We have observed above that;
the sets S1 , S2 , S3 are not bases of P3 , while the set S4 is a basis of P3 .
(b): Since dim(P3 ) = 3, any linearly independent subset of P3 cannot contain more than 3 elements. This implies
that S2 is not linearly independent. We also shown above that S1 is also not linearly independent. We now decide
whether the set S3 is linearly independent. Since S3 contains two elements, it is linearly dependent ⇐⇒ its
 Ergün Yaraneri
MAT 261E
yaraneri@itu.edu.tr

elements are proportional (meaning that one of the element is a scalar multiple of the other). It is clear that there
is no real number λ satisfying λ(X 2 + 2X − 1) = (2X 2 + 5X − 7). Hence, the set S3 is linearly independent. Since
we have shown that the set S4 is a basis, it must be linearly independent.
To sum up, S3 and S4 are linearly independent, while S1 and S2 are linearly dependent.
(c): Since dim(P3 ) = 3, any spanning subset of P3 cannot contain less than 3 elements. This shows that S3 does
not span P3 . Moreover, since dim(P3 ) = 3, a subset of P3 containing 3 elements is a basis ⇐⇒ it spans P3 ⇐⇒ it
is linearly independent. This shows that S1 does not span P3 because it is a linearly dependent subset containing
3 elements. Moreover, as S4 is a basis of P3 it must span P3 . We are left with the set S2 . We now check whether
it spans P3 or not.
S2 spans P3 ⇐⇒ for any polynomial aX 2 + bX + c in P3 the linear system with augmented matrix
 
1 2 6 1 a
 0 3 8 1 b 
5 0 −3 2 c
is consistent. We reduce this matrix as;
   
1 2 6 1 a 1 2 6 1 a
−5R1 + R3 → R3  0 3 8 1 b  3R2 + R3 → R3  0 3 8 1 b 
0 −10 −33 −3 (c − 5a) 0 −1 −9 0 (c − 5a + 3b)
 
1 2 6 1 a
3R3 + R2 → R2 0
 0 −19 1 (10b − 15a + 3c)  .
0 −1 −9 0 (c − 5a + 3b)
Thus the system is consistent, implying that S2 spans P3 .
To sum up, the sets S2 and S4 span P3 , while S1 and S3 do not span P3 .

Problem 7. Show that the following matrices

       
1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1
, , ,
0 0 1 1 0 1 1 1
form a basis of the vector space M2×2 .

Solution: Recall that dim(M2×2 ) = 4. Therefore, a subset B of M2×2 containing four elements is a basis ⇐⇒ it is
linearly independent ⇐⇒ it spans M2×2 . We, for instance, show that the given matrices are linearly independent.
The given matrices are linearly independent ⇐⇒ the homogeneous linear system with augmented matrix
 
1 0 1 0 0
 1 0 0 1 0 
 
 0 1 0 1 0 
0 1 1 1 0
has no nontrivial solutions. We reduce the augmented matrix as follows:
   
1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0
−R1 + R2 → R2   0 0 −1 1 0  R4 + R2 → R2 
  0 0 0 1 0 

−R3 + R4 → R4  0 1 0 1 0   0 1 0 1 0 
0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
   
1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0
 0 1 0 1 0   0 1 0 1 0 
R2 ↔ R3 
 0 0 0 1 0  R3 ↔ R4  0 0 1
  .
0 0 
0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
 Ergün Yaraneri
MAT 261E
yaraneri@itu.edu.tr

Therefore the system has no free variables, implying that it has no nontrivial solutions.
Consequently, the given four matrices are linearly independent, and so they form a basis of M2×2 because
dim(M2×2 ) = 4.

Problem 8. Consider the subspace W of R3 spanned by the vectors

(1, 2, 2), (3, 2, 1), (11, 10, 7), (7, 6, 4).

(a) Find a basis of W.

(b) Find a basis of W consisting entirely of the vectors from the above given vectors.

What is dim(W )?

Solution: (a): We form the following matrix whose rows are the given vectors:
 
1 2 2
 3 2 1 
 .
 11 10 7 
7 6 4

We reduce this matrix as follows;

   
1 2 2 1 2 2
−3R1 + R2 → R2  0 −4 −5  −2R2 + R4 → R4  0 −4 −5 
−11R1 + R3 → R3  
 0 −12 −15  −3R2 + R3 → R3

 0
.
0 0 
−7R1 + R4 → R4
0 −8 −10 0 0 0

The nonzero rows of the last matrix form a basis of W.

Consequently, the set {(1, 2, 2), (0, −4, −5)} is a basis of W. Thus dim(W ) = 2.
(b): We first form the following matrix A whose columns are the given vectors:
 
1 3 11 7
A =  2 2 10 6  .
2 1 7 4

We next reduce A as below;

   
1 3 11 7 1 3 11 7
−2R1 + R2 → R2  0 −4 −12 −8  − 5 R3 + R2 → R2  0 −4 −12 −8  = R.
−2R1 + R3 → R3 4
0 −5 −15 −10 0 0 0 0

We note that the columns of R containing leading entries are its first and second column. Therefore the vectors
in the first and the second column of A form a basis of W.
Consequently, the set {(1, 2, 2), (3, 2, 1)} is a basis of W.

Problem 9. Show that the set

S = {(1, −2, 1), (1, 1, 1), (−2, 4, −2), (2, −1, 2), (1, 1, 0)}

spans R3 and find a basis of R3 which is a subset of S.

 Ergün Yaraneri
MAT 261E
yaraneri@itu.edu.tr

Solution: S spans R3 ⇐⇒ for any vector (a, b, c) ∈ R3 the linear system with augmented matrix
 
1 1 −2 2 1 a
 −2 1 4 −1 1 b 
1 1 −2 2 0 c

is consistent. We reduce the augmented matrix as follows;

 
1 1 −2 2 1 a
2R1 + R2 → R2 
0 3 0 3 3 (b + 2a)  .
−R1 + R3 → R3
0 0 0 0 −1 (c − a)

Therefore the system is consistent. This shows that S spans R3 .

To find the required basis we first form the following matrix A whose columns are the vectors in the set S :
 
1 1 −2 2 1
A =  −2 1 4 −1 1  .
1 1 −2 2 0

We next proceed to reduce the matrix A. However we note that the matrix A is the coefficient matrix of the
linear system whose augmented matrix we already reduced. Therefore, as above A can be reduced to the following
matrix R;  
1 1 −2 2 1
R= 0 3 0 3 3 .
0 0 0 0 −1
The columns of R containing leading entries are its first, second, and fifth columns. Therefore, the vectors which
are the first, second, and fifth column vectors of A form a basis of span(S) = R3 and this basis is a subset of S.
Consequently, {(1, −2, 1), (1, 1, 1), (1, 1, 0)} is a basis of R3 which is a subset of S.

Problem 10. Show that the following subsets of R3 are subspaces of R3 , and find a basis for each of them:

W1 = {(a, b, c) ∈ R3 : b = a + c}

W2 = {(a, b, c) ∈ R3 : a − b + 5c = 0}

Solution: W1 :

(a, b, c) ∈ W1 ⇐⇒ (a, b, c) = (a, a + c, c) = (a, a, 0) + (0, c, c) = a(1, 1, 0) + c(0, 1, 1) where a, c ∈ R.

Therefore, the set W1 is equal to the span of the vectors (1, 1, 0), (0, 1, 1), i.e., W1 = span{(1, 1, 0), (0, 1, 1)}. Since
span of any subset of a vector space is a subspace, this proves that W1 is a subspace of R3 . Now finding a basis
of W1 is easy. To find a basis of W1 we simply find a basis of the subspace of R3 spanned by the vectors (1, 1, 0)
and (0, 1, 1). As before we form the matrix  
1 0
A= 1 1 
0 1
and find a row echelon form R of A. We see that

1 0
−R1 + R2 → R2  0 1  = R.
0 1
 Ergün Yaraneri
MAT 261E
yaraneri@itu.edu.tr

We next see that both columns of R contain leading 10 s, implying that the column vectors of A form a basis of
W1 .
Consequently, the set {(1, 1, 0), (0, 1, 1)} is a basis of W1
We may also argue as follows to find a basis of W1 . We have seen
 that W1 is spanned by the two vectors
(1, 1, 0) and (0, 1, 1). Since these two vectors are not proportional i.e., there is no real number λ satisfying

(1, 1, 0) = λ(0, 1, 1) , they must be linearly independent. Moreover, these two vectors span the subspace W1 .
Hence, they must form a basis of W1 .
W2 :
(a, b, c) ∈ W2 ⇐⇒ a − b + 5c = 0 ⇐⇒ a = b − 5c.
(a, b, c) ∈ W2 ⇐⇒ (a, b, c) = (b − 5c, b, c) = (b, b, 0) + (−5c, 0, c) = b(1, 1, 0) + c(−5, 0, 1).
Therefore W2 = span{(1, 1, 0), (−5, 0, 1)}, proving that W2 is a subspace of R3 . Since the vectors (1, 1, 0) and
(−5, 0, 1) are not proportional, they are linearly independent. Moreover they span W2 . Hence they must form a
basis of W2 .
Consequently, the set {(1, 1, 0), (−5, 0, 1)} is a basis of W2 .

Problem 11. Find a basis for the following subspace W of R4

W = {(a, b, c, d) : a − b + c + d = 0, 2a + 3b − d = 0}.

Solution: The vector (a, b, c, d) of R4 is in W if and only if a, b, c, d is a solution of the homogeneous linear system

a − b + c + d = 0
2a + 3b − d = 0

We now solve this system. Its augmented matrix is

 
1 −1 1 1 0
.
2 3 0 −1 0

We reduce it as below  
1 −1 1 1 0
−2R1 + R2 → R2 .
0 5 −2 −3 0
So the free variables are c and d, and the leading variables can be written in terms of free ones as follows:

b = 52 c + 35 d
a = b − c − d = 52 c + 35 d − c − d = − 35 c − 25 d

Hence,
3 2 2 3
(a, b, c, d) ∈ W ⇐⇒ (a, b, c, d) = (− c − d, c + d, c, d) where c, d ∈ R
5 5 5 5
3 2 2 3 1 1
⇐⇒ (a, b, c, d) = (− c−, c, c, 0) + (− d, d, 0, d) = c(−3, 2, 1, 0) + d(−2, 3, 0, 1).
5 5 5 5 5 5
Consequently, the set W is the spanning set of the vectors (−3, 2, 1, 0) and (−2, 3, 0, 1), (proving also that W is a
subspace of R4 ). Note that these two vectors are not proportional so that they are linearly independent.
Consequently, {(−3, 2, 1, 0), (−2, 3, 0, 1)} is a basis of W.

Problem 12. Let P4 be the vector space of polynomials of degree ≤ 3 with real coefficients. Find a basis for the
subspace U = {P (X) ∈ P4 : P (1) = 0, P (2) = 0} of P4 .
 Ergün Yaraneri
MAT 261E
yaraneri@itu.edu.tr

Solution: A polynomial P (X) = a + bX + cX 2 + dX 3 of P4 is in U if and only if

P (1) = a + b + c + d = 0 and P (2) = a + 2b + 4c + 8d = 0. Therefore,

U = {a + bX + cX 2 + dX 3 ∈ P4 : a + b + c + d = 0, a + 2b + 4c + 8d = 0}.

Hence, a + bX + cX 2 + dX 3 is in U if and only if a, b, c, d is a solution of the homogenous linear system:

a + b + c + d = 0
a + 2b + 4c + 8d = 0

Now to find a basis for U we may find a basis for the solution space of this homogenous linear system. For this
end we reduce the augmented matrix as follows:
     
1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 −2 −6 0
− R1 + R2 → R2 − R2 + R1 → R1 .
1 2 4 8 0 0 1 3 7 0 0 1 3 7 0

It is clear from the latest matrix that the variables c and d are free so that the dimension of U is 2. Moreover, the
solution of the homogenous system is given by

(a, b, c, d) = (2c + 6d, −3c − 7d, c, d)

where c and d can be any real numbers. To find two vectors which form a basis for the solution space of the
homogenous linear system, we put c = 1, d = 0 and obtain the vector (a, b, c, d) = (2, −3, 1, 0) ; we put d = 1, c = 0
and obtain the vector (a, b, c, d) = (6, −7, 0, 1).
Consequently, the set
{2 − 3X + X 2 , 6 − 7X + X 3 }
is a basis for U.

 
1 2 a 1 −1
Problem 13. Let A =  0 a b 0 0  . What must be a and b if the dimension of the solution space
0 0 (b − 2a) 0 a
of the homogenous linear system A~x = ~0 is 3 ?

Solution: There must be 3 free variables in the general solution of the homogenous linear system A~x = ~0. As
there are 5 unknowns, it means that there must be 2 leading entries in a row echelon form of A. We see from the
matrix A that if a 6= 0 then, regardless of what (b − 2a) is, there are already 3 leading entries. Hence we must
next analyze the case in which a = 0. When a = 0 then the matrix A becomes
   
1 2 0 1 −1 1 2 0 1 −1
 0 0 b 0 0  − R2 + R3 → R3  0 0 b 0 0 .
0 0 b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Therefore, assuming a = 0, we have 2 leading entries ⇐⇒ b 6= 0.

Hence, the dimension of the solution space is 2 ⇐⇒ a = 0 and b 6= 0.

Problem 14. Find a basis of R3 that includes the vectors (1, 0, 2) and (0, 1, 3).
 Ergün Yaraneri
MAT 261E
yaraneri@itu.edu.tr


Solution: Although the problem does not ask, before we begin to solve the problem we simply observe that the
given two vectors are linearly independent (Why?). Note also that ifthe given vectors were linearly dependent,
it would be impossible to find a basis that includes the given vectors Since the standard basis vectors (1, 0, 0),
(0, 1, 0), (0, 0, 1) span R3 , the following vectors

(1, 0, 2), (0, 1, 3), (1, 0, 0), (0, 1, 0), (0, 0, 1)

also span R3 . So this problem transforms into the problem of finding a basis for the subspace spanned by a subset
S which consists entirely of vectors from S.
We first form a matrix A whose columns are the above five vectors:
 
1 0 1 0 0
A =  0 1 0 1 0 .
2 3 0 0 1

We next reduce A :
   
1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0
−2R1 + R3 → R3  0 1 0 1 0  − 3R2 + R3 → R3  0 1 0 1 0  = R.
0 3 −2 0 1 0 0 −2 −3 1

The columns of R containing leading entries are the first, second, and the third ones. Hence the vectors in the
first, second, and the third columns of A form the basis we want to find. 
Consequently, {(1, 0, 2), (0, 1, 3), (1, 0, 0)} is a basis of R3 that includes the vectors (1, 0, 2) and (0, 1, 3).
We want to remark that one can (even by inspection) find another different bases satisfying required properties.
We just want to demonstrate that the solution given here is a general procedure and works always (although, it
usually longer)

Problem 15. Find a basis of R5 that contains the vectors (1, −1, 1, 1, −1) and (0, 1, 1, 1, 0).

Solution: The given vectors (1, −1, 1, 1, −1) and (0, 1, 1, 1, 0) together with the standard basis vectors

(1, 0, 0, 0, 0), (0, 1, 0, 0, 0), (0, 0, 1, 0, 0), (0, 0, 0, 1, 0), (0, 0, 0, 0, 1)

span R5 . We form the matrix A whose columns are the above seven vectors:
 
1 0 1 0 0 0 0
 −1 1 0 1 0 0 0 
 
A=  1 1 0 0 1 0 0  .
 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 
−1 0 0 0 0 0 1

We reduce A as follows:
   
1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0
R1 + R2 → R2  0 1 1 1 0 0 0   0 1 1 1 0 0 0 
−R1 + R3 → R3   −R2 + R3 → R3  
 0 1 −1 0 1 0 0   0 0 −2 −1 1 0 0 
−R1 + R4 → R4   −R2 + R4 → R4  
 0 1 −1 0 0 1 0   0 0 −2 −1 0 1 0 
R1 + R5 → R5
0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1
 Ergün Yaraneri
MAT 261E
yaraneri@itu.edu.tr

   
1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0

 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 


 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 

−R3 + R4 → R4 
 0 0 −2 −1 1 0 0  2R4 + R3 → R3 → R4 
  0 0 0 −1 1 0 2 

 0 0 0 0 −1 1 0   0 0 0 0 −1 1 0 
0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1
   
1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0

 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 

 0 1 1
 1 0 0 0 

R4 ↔ R2 
 0 0 1 0 0 0 1  R3 ↔ R4  0 0 1
  0 0 0 1 
 = R.
 0 0 0 0 −1 1 0   0 0 0 −1 1 0 2 
0 0 0 −1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 −1 1 0
The columns of R containing leading entries are its first five columns so that the vectors in the first five columns
of A form a basis that we are looking for.
Consequently,
{(1, −1, 1, 1, −1), (0, 1, 1, 1, 0), (1, 0, 0, 0, 0), (0, 1, 0, 0, 0), (0, 0, 1, 0, 0)
is a basis of R5 containing the vectors (1, −1, 1, 1, −1) and (0, 1, 1, 1, 0).

Problem 16. Find a basis of M2×2 that includes the matrices

     
1 0 0 1 1 2
, , .
0 1 1 0 3 4

Solution: We form the matrix A whose columns are obtained from the following seven matrix
             
1 0 0 1 1 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
, , , , , ,
0 1 1 0 3 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1

Note that the last four matrices of the above matrices are standard basis vectors of the space.
   
1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0
 0 1 2 0 1 0 0   − R1 + R3 → R3  0 1 2 0 1 0 0 

A=  1 1 3  0 1 2 −1 0 1 0 

0 0 1 0 
0 0 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 1
   
1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0
 0 1 2 0 1 0 0   0 1 2 0 1 0 0 
−R2 + R3 → R3   R3 ↔ R4   = R.
 0 0 0 −1 −1 1 0   0 0 4 0 0 0 1 
0 0 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 −1 −1 1 0
Since the columns of R containing leading entries are the first four column, it follows that the first four matrices
of the seven matrices given in the beginning of the solution form a basis that we want.
Consequently, the set        
1 0 0 1 1 2 1 0
{ , , , }
0 1 1 0 3 4 0 0
is a basis of M2×2 which contains the given three matrices.

Problem 17. If possible, find a basis for the subspace W = {(a, b, c, d) : a + 2b = c + 2d} of R4 that contains
~u = (1, 0, 1, 0) and ~v = (0, 1, 0, 1).
 Ergün Yaraneri
MAT 261E
yaraneri@itu.edu.tr

Solution: It is possible to find a basis for W that contains ~u and ~v , because one sees easily that they are linearly
independent and they both belong to W.
(a, b, c, d) ∈ W ⇐⇒ a + 2b = c + 2d ⇐⇒ a = −2b + c + 2d. Therefore,

(a, b, c, d) ∈ W ⇐⇒ (a, b, c, d) = (−2b + c + 2d, b, c, d) = (−2b, b, 0, 0) + (c, 0, c, 0) + (2d, 0, 0, d)

⇐⇒ (a, b, c, d) = b(−2, 1, 0, 0) + c(1, 0, 1, 0) + d(2, 0, 0, 1)

This means that

W = span{(−2, 1, 0, 0), (1, 0, 1, 0), (2, 0, 0, 1)},
proving that W is a subspace of R4 .
We see easily that the vectors ~u and ~v are in W because they satisfy the condition a + 2b = c + 2d.
Since the vectors
(−2, 1, 0, 0), (1, 0, 1, 0) = ~u, (2, 0, 0, 1)
span W, it follows that the following four vectors (from W )

~u = (1, 0, 1, 0), ~v = (0, 1, 0, 1), (−2, 1, 0, 0), (2, 0, 0, 1)

also span W. So we need to find a basis for W consisting entirely of vectors from the above four vectors.
For this end, we first form the following matrix A whose columns are the above four vectors:
 
1 0 −2 2
 0 1 1 0 
A=  1 0
.
0 0 
0 1 0 1

We now reduce A :
   
1 0 −2 2 1 0 −2 2
−R1 + R3 → R3  0
 1 1  1 R3 + R4 → R4 
0   0 1 1 0 
 = R.
−R2 + R4 → R4  0 0 2 −2 2
  0 0 2 −2 
0 0 −1 1 0 0 0 0

Since the first three columns of R contains leading entries, it follows that the first three vectors of the following
vectors
~u = (1, 0, 1, 0), ~v = (0, 1, 0, 1), (−2, 1, 0, 0), (2, 0, 0, 1)
form a basis for W.
Consequently, the set
{~u = (1, 0, 1, 0), ~v = (0, 1, 0, 1), (−2, 1, 0, 0)}
is a basis for W that contains ~u and ~v .
 Ergün Yaraneri
MAT 261E
yaraneri@itu.edu.tr

Some Solved Problems

Problem 1. Find a basis for the solution space of the following homogeneous linear system
x1 + 2x2 + x3 + 2x4 + x5 = 0
x1 + 2x2 + 2x3 + x4 + 2x5 = 0
2x1 + 4x2 + 3x3 + 3x4 + 3x5 = 0
x3 − x4 − x5 = 0
What is the dimension of the solution space?

Solution: The augmented matrix of the system is

 
1 2 1 2 1 0
 1 2 2 1 2 0 
 .
 2 4 3 3 3 0 
0 0 1 −1 −1 0
We find the reduced row echelon form of the augmented matrix as
   
1 2 1 2 1 0 1 2 0 3 0 0
−R2 + R3 → R3
−R1 + R2 → R2   0 0 1 −1 1 0 
 −R2 + R4 → R4
 0
 0 1 −1 1 0 

−2R1 + R3 → R3  0 0 1 −1 1 0   0 0 0 0 0 0 
−R2 + R1 → R1
0 0 1 −1 −1 0 0 0 0 0 −2 0
   
1 2 0 3 0 0 1 2 0 3 0 0
1
2 R4 + R2 → R2  0 0 1 −1 0 0   0
 R ↔ R4  0 1 −1 0 0 
.
0 0 0  3

− 12 R4  0 0 0  0 0 0 0 1 0 
0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Therefore x2 and x4 are free variables, and the solution of the system is
   
x1 = −2r − 3s x1 −2r − 3s
x2 = r  x2  
   r 

x3 = s or  x3  = 
   s 

x4 = s  x4   s 
x5 = 0 x5 0
where r and s are arbitrary real numbers. Since there are two free variables, the dimension of the solution space
is 2. Basis vectors of the solution space is obtained by putting r = 1, s = 0 and r = 0, s = 1. Consequently, the set
   
−2 −3
 1   0 
   
{
 0  ,  1 }
  
 0   1 
0 0
is a basis of the solution space.

Problem 2. Find bases for the row space, column space, and null space of the following matrix
 
1 1 2 0 1
 2 2 5 0 3 
A=  0 0 0 1 3 


8 11 19 0 11
 Ergün Yaraneri
MAT 261E
yaraneri@itu.edu.tr

Solution: We reduce A as follows;

   
1 1 2 0 1 1 1 0 0 −1
−2R1 + R2 → R2  0
 0 1 0  −2R2 + R1 → R1
1   0
 0 1 0 1 
.
−8R1 + R3 → R3  0 0 0 1 3  −3R2 + R4 → R4  0 0 0 1 3 
0 3 3 0 3 0 3 0 0 0

Thus the reduced row echelon form of A is

 
1 0 0 0 −1
 0 1 0 0 0 
R=
 0
.
0 1 0 1 
0 0 0 1 3

Therefore the rows of R form a basis of the row space of A. Since the first four columns of R contains leading 1’s,
the first four columns of A form a basis of the column space of A. To find a basis for the null space of A we solve
the homogeneous system with coefficient matrix R (or with coefficient matrix A). Denoting by x1 , x2 , x3 , x4 , x5
the unknowns we see that x5 is free so that the solution is given by

x1 = r
x2 = 0
x3 = −r
x4 = −3r
x5 = r

where r is an arbitrary real number. Putting r = 1 we find a basis of the null space.
To sum up, the set
       
{ 1 0 0 0 −1 , 0 1 0 0 0 , 0 0 1 0 1 , 0 0 0 1 3 }

is a basis for the row space of A. And the set

       
1 1 2 0
 2   2   5   0 
{
 0   0 ,  0
,    ,

 }
 1 
8 11 19 0

is a basis for the column space of A. And lastly, the set

 
1

 0 

{
 −1 }

 −3 
1

is a basis for the null space of A.

Problem 3. Find bases for the row space, column space, and null space of the following matrix
 
1 2 2 −1 3 4
 3 6 5 0 9 14 
A=  1 2 1

2 3 6 
5 10 8 1 15 24
 Ergün Yaraneri
MAT 261E
yaraneri@itu.edu.tr

Solution: We first find the reduced row echelon form R of A :

   
1 2 2 −1 3 4 1 2 0 5 3 8
−3R1 + R2 → R2  −2R2 + R4 → R4
0 0 −1 3 0 2   0 0 −1 3 0 2 
−R1 + R3 → R3   −R2 + R3 → R3  
 0 0 −1 3 0 2   0 0 0 0 0 0 
−5R1 + R4 → R4 2R2 + R1 → R1
0 0 −2 6 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0
 
1 2 0 5 3 8
 0 0 1 −3 0 −2 
(−1)R2  0 0 0
 = R.
0 0 0 
0 0 0 0 0 0
The nonzero rows of R form a basis for the row space of A. Thus, rank(A) = 2 and the set
   
{ 1 2 0 5 3 8 , 0 0 1 −3 0 −2 }
is a basis for the row space of A.
We see that the columns of R containing leading 1’s are its first and its third column. This means that the
first column of A and the third column of A form a basis for the column space of A. Hence, the set
   
1 2
 3   5 
{
 1  ,  1 }
  

5 8
is a basis for the column space of A.
To find a basis for the null space of A we must solve the homogeneous system whose coefficient matrix is A.
To achieve this aim, letting the unknowns be x1 , x2 , x3 , x4 , x5 , x6 we see from the matrix R that the unknowns
x2 , x4 , x5 , x6 are free so that they can be any real numbers. We now write the linear system whose coefficient
matrix is R :
x1 + 2x2 + 5x4 + 3x5 + 8x6 = 0
x3 − 3x4 − 2x6 = 0
Therefore, the solutions of the homogeneous system with coefficient matrix A are given by
x1 = −2x2 − 5x4 − 3x5 − 8x6
x2 = arbitrary real number
x3 = 3x4 + 2x6
x4 = arbitrary real number
x5 = arbitrary real number
x6 = arbitrary real number
To find the elements of a basis for the null space of A (i.e., the solution space of the homogeneous linear system
whose coefficient matrix is A) we put x2 = 1, x4 = x5 = x6 = 0 ; x4 = 1, x2 = x5 = x6 = 0 ; x5 = 1, x2 = x4 =
x6 = 0 ; x6 = 1, x2 = x4 = x5 = 0 and we obtain respectively the four elements of the following set
−2 −5 −3 −8
       
 1   0   0   0 
       
 0   3   0   2 
 0   1   0   0 }.
{ ,  ,  ,  
       
 0   0   1   0 
0 0 0 1

This set is a basis for the nullspace of A. Hence, nullity(A) = 4. We check that rank(A) + nullity(A) = 2 + 4 = 6=

the number of columns of A
 Ergün Yaraneri
MAT 261E
yaraneri@itu.edu.tr

Problem 4. In each part, use the information in the table to find the dimension of the row space, column space,
and nullspace of A, and of the nullspace of AT .

(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f ) (g)

Size of A 3 × 3 3 × 3 3 × 3 5 × 9 9 × 5 4 × 4 6 × 2
rank(A) 3 2 1 2 2 0 2

Solution: We just recall the following three facts: Given any m × n matrix A,
(One) dimension of the row space of A = dimension of the column space of A = rank(A).
(Two) rank(A) + nullity(A) = n = the number of columns of A.
(Three) rank(AT ) = rank(A).
Consequently, if A is an m × n matrix with rank(A) = r then;

The dimension of the row space of A = rank(A) = r.

The dimension of the column space of A = rank(A) = r.

The dimension of the nullspace of A = nullity(A) = n − rank(A) = n − r.

The dimension of the nullspace of AT = nullity(AT ) = m − rank(AT ) = m − r.

Therefore we can give easily the answer as follows:

(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f ) (g)

Size of A 3×3 3×3 3×3 5×9 9×5 4×4 6×2
rank(A) 3 2 1 2 2 0 2
Dimension of
the row 3 2 1 2 2 0 2
space of A
Dimension of
the column 3 2 1 2 2 0 2
space of A
Dimension of
the nullspace 3 − 3 = 0 3 − 2 = 1 3 − 1 = 2 9 − 2 = 7 5 − 2 = 3 4 − 0 = 4 2 − 2 = 0
of A
Dimension of
the nullspace 3 − 3 = 0 3 − 2 = 1 3 − 1 = 2 5 − 2 = 3 9 − 2 = 7 4 − 0 = 4 6 − 2 = 4
of AT

Problem 5. Let A be a 3 × 5 matrix.

(a) The number of leading 1’s in the reduced row echelon form of A is at most . Why?

(b) The dimension of the solution space of the homogeneous linear system A~x = ~0 is at most . Why?

(c) The rank of A is at most . Why?

(d) The nullity of A is at most . Why?

(e) The rank of AT is at most . Why?

(f ) The nullity of AT is at most . Why?

(g) If A 6= 0, then the nullity of A is at most . Why?

 Ergün Yaraneri
MAT 261E
yaraneri@itu.edu.tr

(h) If A 6= 0, then the nullity of AT is at most . Why?

Solution: Let A be an m × n matrix and R be the reduced row echelon form of A. We recall the following facts:
The number of leading 1’s in R = rank(A) = the number of nonzero rows of R = the number of columns of R
containing a leading 1.
The number of free variables of the homogeneous linear system (A~x = ~0) = the dimension of the solution space
of the homogeneous linear system (A~x = ~0) = the number of columns of R not containing a leading 1 = nullity(A).
The rank of A satisfies rank(A) ≤ m and rank(A) ≤ n so that the largest possible value for rank(A) is the
minimum min{m, n} of the numbers m and n.
We have the formula rank(A) + nullity(A) = n = the number of columns of A. Therefore, the largest possible
value of nullity(A) occurs when rank(A) takes its smallest possible value. Similarly, the smallest possible value of
nullity(A) occurs when rank(A) takes its largest possible value.
A = 0 (i.e., A is the zero matrix) ⇐⇒ rank(A) = 0.
Now we can answer all parts of the problem in general for an m × n matrix as follows:
Given any m × n matrix A we have the followings: 
(A): The number of leading 1’s in the reduced row echelon form of A is at most min{m, n}. Because the number
of leading 1’s
 in the reduced row echelon form of A = rank(A), and the largest possible value for rank(A) is
min{m, n}.

(B): The dimension of the solution space of the homogeneous linear system A~x = ~0 is at most n. Because the
dimension of the solution space of the homogeneous linear system A~x = ~0 is nullity(A), and it follows from the
formula rank(A) + nullity(A) = n that the largest possible value of nullity(A) occurs when rank(A) assumes it
smallest possible value, and
 because the smallest possible value for rank(A) is 0 (and this smallest value of rank(A)
occurs only when A = 0).
 
(C): The rank of A is at most min{m, n}. Because rank(A) ≤ m and rank(A) ≤ n.

(D): The nullity of A is at most n. Because, from the formula rank(A) + nullity(A) = n we see that the largest

possible value for nullity(A) occurs when rank(A) has its smallest possible value which is 0.
 
(E): The rank of AT is at most min{m, n}. Because rank(AT ) = rank(A).

(F): The nullity of AT is at most m. Because, from the formula rank(AT ) + nullity(AT ) = m we see that the

largest possible value for nullity(AT ) occurs when rank(AT ) has its smallest possible value which is 0.

(G): If A 6= 0, then the nullity of A is at most n − 1. Because, from the formula rank(A) + nullity(A) = n we see
that the largest possible value for nullity(A) occurs when rank(A) has  its smallest possible value. The smallest
value for rank(A) here must be 1 (not 0) as the matrix A is nonzero.

(H): If A 6= 0, then the nullity of AT is at most m − 1. Because, from the formula rank(AT ) + nullity(AT ) = m
we see that the largest possible value for nullity(AT ) occurs when rank(AT ) = rank(A) has its smallest possible
T
value. The smallest value for rank(A ) here must be 1 (not 0) as the matrix A is nonzero. .
Therefore, the answer for this particular question must be as follows.
(a): If A is a 3 × 5 matrix, then the number of leading 1’s in the reduced row echelon form of A is at most 3.
(b): If A is a 3 × 5 matrix, then the dimension of the solution space of the homogeneous linear system A~x = ~0 is
at most 5.
(c): If A is a 3 × 5 matrix, then the rank of A is at most 3.
(d): If A is a 3 × 5 matrix, then the nullity of A is at most 5.
(e): If A is a 3 × 5 matrix, then the rank of AT is at most 3.
(f ): If A is a 3 × 5 matrix, then the nullity of AT is at most 3.
(g): If A is a 3 × 5 matrix and if A 6= 0, then the nullity of A is at most 4.
 Ergün Yaraneri
MAT 261E
yaraneri@itu.edu.tr

(h): If A is a 3 × 5 matrix and if A 6= 0, then the nullity of AT is at most 2.

Problem 6. (a) If A is a 3 × 4 matrix, what is the largest possible value for rank(A)?

(b) If A is a 4 × 6 matrix, can the columns of A be linearly independent? Justify your answer.

(c) If A is a 5 × 3 matrix, can the rows of A be linearly independent? Justify your answer.

Solution: To understand the solution, we first recall the following facts:

Let V be a vector space with dim(V ) = r. Then, the number of elements of any linearly independent subset is
≤ r.
Given any m × n matrix A, the subspace of Rm spanned by the columns of A is called the column space of A,
and the subspace of Rn spanned by the rows of A is called the row space of A.
The dimensions of the row space and the column space of a matrix is equal, and this common dimension is
called the rank of the matrix.
Therefore, in general we have: Let A be an m × n matrix. Then, if m > rank(A) then the rows of A cannot
be linearly independent. Similarly, if n > rank(A) then the columns of A cannot be linearly independent.
(a): If A is a 3 × 4 matrix, then the largest possible value for rank(A) is 3. 
(b): If A is a 4 × 6 matrix, then the columns of A cannot be linearly independent. Because, the dimension of
the column space of A is rank(A) ≤ 4. Therefore the number of columns of A is greater
 than the dimension of the
column space of A, implying that the columns of A cannot be linearly independent.

(c): If A is a 5 × 3 matrix, then the rows of A cannot be linearly independent. Because, the dimension of the
row space of A is rank(A) ≤ 3. Therefore the number of rows of A is greater than the dimension of the row space
of A, implying that the rows of A cannot be linearly independent.

Problem 7. (a) Can a 3 × 4 matrix have independent columns? Independent rows? Explain.

(b) If A is a 4 × 3 matrix and rank(A) = 2, can A have independent columns? Independent rows? Explain.

(c) Can the nullspace of a 3 × 6 matrix have dimension 2? Explain.

Solution: We first must recall the facts:

Let V be a vector space with dim(V ) = r. Then, the number of elements of any linearly independent subset is
≤ r.
For any m × n matrix A we have the formula rank(A) + nullity(A) = n.
Let V be a vector space with dim(V ) = r. Then, for any subset B of V with r elements we have: B spans V
⇐⇒ B is linearly independent ⇐⇒ B is a basis for V.
(a): Since A has size 3 × 4, rank(A) ≤ 3. Therefore the number of columns of A is greater than rank(A) (= the
dimension of the column space of A), implying that columns of A cannot be linearly independent.
It may happen that the rows of A are linearly independent. Indeed, if rank(A) = 3 then the dimension of the
row space of A is 3 so that the rows of A are linearly independent.
(b): Since rank(A) = 2, the dimensions of the row and column spaces of A are both equal to 2. Since the number
of rows of A is greater than 2, the rows of A cannot be linearly independent. Moreover, since the number of
columns of A is greater than 2, the columns of A cannot be linearly independent.
(c): Let the nullspace of a 3 × 6 matrix A have dimension 2. This means that nullity(A) = 2. From the formula

nullity(A) + rank(A) = 6
 Ergün Yaraneri
MAT 261E
yaraneri@itu.edu.tr

we get rank(A) = 4. On the other hand rank(A) ≤ 3 because the number of rows of A is 3 and rank(A) is the
dimension of the space spanned by the rows of A.
Consequently, the nullspace of a 3 × 6 matrix cannot have dimension 2.

Problem 8. (a) Let A be an m × n matrix and let B be an n × r matrix. Show that the nullspace of B is a
subspace of the nullspace of AB.

(b) Let A be an n × n invertible matrix and let B be an n × r matrix. Show that the nullspace of B is equal to
the nullspace of AB.

Solution: (a): Let ~x be a vector in the nullspace of B. This means that B~x = ~0. We must show that ~x is also in
the nullspace of AB :
(AB)~x = A(B~x) = A~0 = ~0.
Thus, (AB)~x = ~0, meaning that ~x is in the nullspace of AB.
(b): From part (a), we already know that the nullspace of B is a subspace of the nullspace of AB. Therefore, to
show that the nullspace of B is equal to the nullspace of AB we must only justify that the nullspace of AB is a
subspace of the nullspace of B.
Again from part (a), we have: the null space of (AB) is a subspace of the nullspace of A−1 (AB) = (A−1 A)B =
IB = B.