TheoremBase

The Real Vector Space of Real-Valued Functions on a Set

The real-valued functions on any set form a real vector space under pointwise operations, and a subset containing the zero function and closed under those operations is a linear subspace.

Statement

In the setting of The Real Numbers: Standing Notation and Background, let XX be a set and let Map(X,R)\mathrm{Map}(X,\mathbb{R}) denote the set of all maps from XX to R\mathbb{R}, two such maps being equal exactly when they take the same value at every point of XX. For f,g∈Map(X,R)f,g\in\mathrm{Map}(X,\mathbb{R}) and λ∈R\lambda\in\mathbb{R} define the pointwise sum f+gf+g and the pointwise scalar multiple λf\lambda f to be the maps given by

(f+g)(x)=f(x)+g(x),(λf)(x)=λ f(x)(x∈X),(f+g)(x)=f(x)+g(x),\qquad(\lambda f)(x)=\lambda\,f(x)\qquad(x\in X),

and let 0X0_{X} denote the map taking the value 00 at every point of XX. Then the following hold.

1. (The space of all real-valued maps) The set Map(X,R)\mathrm{Map}(X,\mathbb{R}), equipped with the pointwise sum and the pointwise scalar multiple, is a vector space over R\mathbb{R}. Its zero vector is 0X0_{X}; the additive inverse −f-f of ff is the map x↦−f(x)x\mapsto-f(x); and the difference f−gf-g is the map x↦f(x)−g(x)x\mapsto f(x)-g(x).

2. (Subspace criterion) Let WW be a subset of Map(X,R)\mathrm{Map}(X,\mathbb{R}) such that 0X∈W0_{X}\in W, and such that f+g∈Wf+g\in W and λf∈W\lambda f\in W for all f,g∈Wf,g\in W and every λ∈R\lambda\in\mathbb{R}. Then WW is a linear subspace of Map(X,R)\mathrm{Map}(X,\mathbb{R}), and WW, equipped with the pointwise sum and the pointwise scalar multiple restricted to WW, is itself a vector space over R\mathbb{R} with zero vector 0X0_{X}.

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