Vector Spaces, Dual Spaces and Inner Product Spaces - One Line Questions

1. If T is a linear operator on a finite-dimensional inner product space, then the adjoint T* satisfies: (T*)* = T
2. Consider the vector space of 2x2 matrices with real entries. What is a basis for this space? {[[1,0],[0,0]], [[0,1],[0,0]], [[0,0],[1,0]], [[0,0],[0,1]]}
3. What is the kernel (or null space) of a linear transformation T: V -> W? {v ∈ V | T(v) = 0_W}
4. What is the image (or range) of a linear transformation T: V -> W? {w ∈ W | w = T(v) for some v ∈ V}
5. Consider the vector space of continuous functions C[a, b] on the interval [a, b]. A common inner product is defined as: <f, g> = integral from a to b of f(x)g(x) dx
6. Two vectors u and v in an inner product space are called orthogonal if: <u, v> = 0
7. What is the standard inner product (dot product) on R^n? <x, y> = x1*y1 + x2*y2 + ... + xn*yn
8. What does the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality state for an inner product space? |<u, v>| <= ||u|| ||v||
9. The norm (or length) of a vector v in an inner product space is defined as: ||v|| = sqrt(<v, v>)
10. What is an inner product on a real vector space V? A function <.,.> : V x V -> R satisfying linearity in the first argument, symmetry, and positive-definiteness.
11. What is the fundamental definition of a vector space over a field F? A set V with two operations, addition and scalar multiplication, satisfying specific axioms.
12. What is a subspace of a vector space V? A subset W of V that is itself a vector space under the same operations as V.
13. What is the definition of a normed vector space? A vector space V with a function ||.|| : V -> R (the norm) satisfying specific axioms.
14. What is the adjoint of a linear operator T: V -> W between inner product spaces V and W? An operator T*: W -> V such that <T(v), w> = <v, T*(w)> for all v in V, w in W.
15. What is an orthonormal set of vectors? An orthogonal set where each vector has a norm of 1.
16. A set of vectors that spans a vector space V and is linearly independent is called a: Basis
17. Which of the following is NOT a required axiom for a set V to be a vector space over a field F? Commutativity of scalar multiplication (av = va for all a ∈ F, v ∈ V).
18. Consider the set of all n-tuples of real numbers, R^n. What is the scalar multiplication operation? Component-wise multiplication of the scalar with each element of the n-tuple.
19. For a complex vector space V, the inner product <.,.> : V x V -> C must satisfy: Conjugate symmetry: <u, v> = conj(<v, u>), and linearity in the first argument.
20. Which property is NOT required for a function <.,.> to be an inner product on a real vector space V? Conjugate symmetry: <u, v> = conj(<v, u>).
21. The Rank-Nullity Theorem states that for a linear transformation T: V -> W, where V is finite-dimensional: dim(V) = rank(T) + nullity(T)
22. Let V = R^2. Which of the following is a linear functional on V? f(x, y) = 3x - 2y
23. What is the relationship between a basis {v1, ..., vn} of V and the dual basis {f1, ..., fn} of V*? fi(vj) = δij (Kronecker delta), where δij = 1 if i=j and 0 if i≠j.
24. The process of converting an arbitrary basis into an orthonormal basis for an inner product space is called: Gram-Schmidt process
25. An inner product space is a vector space equipped with an: Inner product
26. An orthogonal set of non-zero vectors is always: Linearly independent
27. What is the dimension of the vector space R^n? n
28. If V is a finite-dimensional vector space with dimension n, what is the dimension of its dual space V*? n
29. What is the dimension of the vector space of polynomials of degree at most n, Pn(x)? n+1
30. Every inner product space is a normed vector space (with ||v|| = sqrt(<v, v>)). Is the converse true? That is, is every normed vector space an inner product space? No, not all norms arise from an inner product (e.g., the max norm on R^2).
31. Which axiom must a norm ||.|| satisfy? All of the above.
32. What is the Hilbert space theorem related to the representation of linear functionals? Riesz Representation Theorem
33. Which theorem states that for a self-adjoint operator on a finite-dimensional complex inner product space, eigenvectors corresponding to distinct eigenvalues are orthogonal? Spectral Theorem
34. Let V and W be vector spaces over the same field F. A function T: V -> W is a linear transformation if: T(u + v) = T(u) + T(v) and T(cv) = cT(v) for all u, v ∈ V and c ∈ F.
35. A linear operator T on an inner product space is called self-adjoint (or Hermitian if complex) if: T* = T
36. Which norm on R^n is derived from the standard Euclidean inner product? The Euclidean norm: ||x||_2 = sqrt(x1^2 + ... + xn^2)
37. For a finite-dimensional vector space V, there is a natural isomorphism between V and its bidual space V** (the dual of the dual space). What is this map? The evaluation map: E(v)(f) = f(v)
38. What is the dimension of a vector space V? The number of vectors in any basis for V.
39. What does it mean for a set of vectors {v1, v2, ..., vn} in a vector space V to be linearly independent? The only solution to the equation c1v1 + c2v2 + ... + cnvn = 0 is c1 = c2 = ... = cn = 0.
40. Consider R^2. Which of the following is a subspace of R^2? The set of all vectors (x, y) such that y = 2x.
41. In the context of linear algebra, a 'field' is a set with two operations (addition and multiplication) that satisfy certain axioms, analogous to the properties of real or complex numbers. Which of the following is NOT typically a field used in vector spaces? The set of integers (Z) under usual addition and multiplication.
42. What is a dual space V* of a vector space V? The vector space of all linear functionals from V to its underlying field F.
43. A linear functional is a linear map from a vector space V to its: Underlying field F
44. In a finite-dimensional inner product space, if {u1, ..., un} is an orthonormal basis, then any vector v can be written as: v = <v, u1>u1 + ... + <v, un>un
45. The set of all linear transformations from V to W forms a: Vector space
46. Which condition is NOT necessary for a non-empty subset W of a vector space V to be a subspace? W contains at least one non-zero vector.
47. If T: V -> W is a linear transformation, when is T invertible? When T is both injective (one-to-one) and surjective (onto).
48. Let P(x) be the set of all polynomials with real coefficients. Is P(x) a vector space over the field of real numbers R? Yes, polynomial addition and scalar multiplication satisfy the vector space axioms.