Definition. A vector space (or linear space) consists of the following:
- a field F F F of scalars;
- a set V V V of objects, called vectors;
- a rule (or operation), called vector addition, which associates with each pair of vectors α , β {\alpha},{\beta} α,β in V V V a vector α + β \alpha+\beta α+β in V V V, called the sum of α {\alpha} α and β {\beta} β, in such a way that
( a ) addition is commutative, α + β = β + α \alpha+\beta=\beta+\alpha α+β=β+α;
( b ) addition is associative, α + ( β + γ ) = ( α + β ) + γ {\alpha}+(\beta +\gamma)=(\alpha+\beta)+\gamma α+(β+γ)=(α+β)+γ;
( c ) there is a unique vector 0 in V V V, called the zero vector, such that α + 0 = α \alpha+0=\alpha α+0=α for all α {\alpha} α in V V V;
( d ) for each vector α {\alpha} α in V V V there is a unique vector − α -{\alpha} −α in V V V such that α + ( − α ) = 0 {\alpha}+(-{\alpha})=0 α+(−α)=0; - a rule (or operation), called scalar multiplication, which associates with each scalar c c c in F F F and vector α \alpha α in V V V a vector c α c{\alpha} cα in V V V, called the product of c c c and α \alpha α, in such a way that
( a ) 1 α = α 1\alpha=\alpha 1α=α for every α {\alpha} α in V V V;
( b ) ( c 1 c 2 ) α = c 1 ( c 2 α ) (c_1c_2)\alpha=c_1(c_2\alpha) (c1c2)α=c1(c2α);
( c ) c ( α + β ) = c α + c β c(\alpha+\beta)=c\alpha+c\beta c(α+β)=cα+cβ;
( d ) ( c 1 + c 2 ) α = c 1 α + c 2 α (c_1+c_2)\alpha=c_1\alpha+c_2\alpha (c1+c2)α=c1α+c2α.
Definition. A vector β \beta β in V V V is said to be a linear combination of the vectors α 1 , … , α n {\alpha}_1,\dots,{\alpha}_n α1,…,αn in V V V provided there exist scalars c 1 , … , c n c_1,\dots,c_n c1,…,cn in