Linear Combinations

If ⃗ w is the vector in vector space V, then ⃗ w is said to be a linear combination of the

vectors ⃗v 1 , ⃗v 2 , … ⃗v r in V, if ⃗
w can be expressed in the form ⃗ w =k 1 ⃗v 1+ k 2 ⃗v 2+ …+k r ⃗v r , where
k 1 , k 2 , … , k r are scalars. These scalars are called the coefficients of linear combinations.

THEOREM 4.2.3
If S is a nonempty set of vectors in a vector space V, then:
(a) The set W of all possible linear combinations of the vectors in S is a subspace of V.
(b) The set W in part (a) is the “smallest” subspace of V that contains all of the vectors in
S in the sense that any other subspace that contains those vectors contains W.
Example 1:

Let ⃗v 1=( 1 ,0 , 0 ) , ⃗v 2= ( 0 ,1 , 0 ) , ⃗v 3=(0 , 0 , 1) in R3. Then ⃗

w =(2 ,3 , 4 ) can be written as linear
combinations of ⃗v 1 , ⃗v 2 , ⃗v 3.

Solution:
w =k 1 ⃗v 1+ k 2 ⃗v 2+ k 3 ⃗v 3
⃗

( 2 , 3 , 4 ) =k 1 ( 1, 0 , 0 ) + k 2 ( 0 , 1 , 0 ) +k 3 ( 0 , 0 ,1 )

( 2 , 3 , 4 ) =2 ( 1 , 0 , 0 ) +3 ( 0 , 1 ,0 )+ 4 ( 0 , 0 , 1 )

w =2 ⃗v 1 +3 v⃗2 + 4 ⃗v 3
⃗

Example 2:

Consider the vectors u⃗ =( 1, 2 ,−1 ) and ⃗v =(6 , 4 , 2) in R3. Show that ⃗

w =(9 , 2 ,7) is linear
combination of u⃗ and ⃗v.
'
w =( 4 ,−1 ,8) is not linear combination of u⃗ and ⃗v .
Also prove that ⃗

Solution:

In order to form linear combination of u⃗ and ⃗v , there exist k 1 and k 2such that
w =k 1 u⃗ + k 2 ⃗v
⃗

( 9 , 2 ,7 )=k 1 ( 1 , 2,−1 ) +k 2 ( 6 , 4 ,2 )

( 9 , 2 ,7 )=( k 1 , 2 k 1 ,−k 1 ) + ( 6 k 2 , 4 k 2 ,2 k 2 )

( 9 , 2 ,7 )=( k 1+ 6 k 2 ,2 k 1+ 4 k 2 ,−k 1 +2 k 2 )
Equating corresponding components gives:
k 1+6 k 2=9

2 k 1 +4 k 2=2

−k 1+2 k 2=7

Solving this system by using Gauss Elimination:

¿

R2

[ ]
169 ∧R3
8
012 −
8
012

[ ]
169
0 1 2 R3−R 2
000

{
k 1 +6 k 2=9−−−−(1)
k 2=2
0=0

Put value of k 2=2 in (1), we get:

k 1=−3

So
w =−3 u⃗ +2 v⃗
⃗

That is ( 9 , 2 ,7 )=−3 ( 1 , 2,−1 ) +2 ( 6 , 4 , 2 )

So ⃗
w is the linear combination of u⃗ ∧⃗v .

Similarly, we have to check whether ⃗

w ' is linear combination of u⃗ and ⃗v .

w ' is linear combination of u⃗ and ⃗v , then there must exist k 1 and k 2, such that:
If ⃗
⃗
w '=k 1 u⃗ + k 2 ⃗v

( 4 ,−1 , 8 )=k 1 (2 , 2 ,−1 ) + k 2 ( 6 , 4 , 2 )

 ( 4 ,−1 , 8 )= ( 2 k 1+ 6 k 2 ,2 k 1+ 4 k 2 ,−k 1 +2 k 2 )

{
4=k 1 +6 k 2
−1=2 k 1 + 4 k 2
8=−k 1 +2 k 2

[ ]
1 6 4
2 4 −1
−1 2 8

[ ]
1 6 4
0 −8 −9 R 2−2 R1∧R3 + R1
0 8 12

[ ]
1 6 4
9 1 1
0 1 − R 2∧ R
8 8 4 3
0 2 3

[ ]
1 6 4
9
0 1
8 R 3−2 R2
3
0 0
2

This system has no solution. So, no such k 1 and k 2 exist. So ⃗

w ' is not the linear
combination of u⃗ ∧⃗v .

Example 3:

Which of the following are linear combination of u⃗ =( 0 ,−2 , 2 ) and ⃗v =( 1 ,3 ,−1 ) .

a) (2, 2, 2)
b) (3,1,5)
c) (0,4,5)
d) (0,0,0)

Example 4:

Express the following as linear combination of u⃗ =( 2 ,1 , 4 ) , ⃗v =( 1 ,−1 , 3 ) , ⃗

w=(3 , 2 ,5)
 a) (-9, -7, -15)
b) (66, 11, 6)
c) (0,0,0)
d) (7,8,9)

Example 5:Which of the following is the linear combination of

A=
[−24 −20 ] B=[ 12 −13 ]C=[ 01 24]
[ ]
6 −8
a) M = −1 −8

b) N=[ 3 8 ]
6 0

c) O=[ 0 0 ]
0 0

d) P=[ 7 1 ]
−1 5

Solution: In order to form linear combination of A , B and C , we write

M =k 1 A+ k 2 B+ k 3 C

[−16 −8
−8 ]
=k 1[−24 −20 ]+ k [ 12 −13 ]+ k [ 01 24]
2 3

[−1 −8 ] [−2 k −2 k ] [2 k 3 k ] [ k 4 k ]
6 −8
=
4k 1

1
0
+
k −k
1
+ 20 2k
2
2

2 2
3

−8 [−2 k + 2 k + k −2 k +3 k + 4 k ]
[−16 −8 ] 4 k +k −k +2 k
= 2 2 2 3

1 2 3 1 2 3

6=4 k 1 +k 2−−−−−(1)

−8=−k 2 +2 k 3 −−−−−(2)

−1=−2 k 1+ 2k 2+ k 3−−−−−(3)

−8=−2 k 1 +3 k 2 +4 k 3−−−−−( 4 )

Add (1) and (2):

 −2=4 k 1+2 k 3 or −1=2 k 1+ k 3

k 3=−1−2 k 1 , put in (3)

−1=−2 k 1+ 2k 2+ k 3

−1=−2 k 1+ 2k 2+ ( −1−2 k 1 )

−1=−2 k 1+ 2k 2−1−2 k 1

−4 k 1 +2 k 2=0−−−−−− ( 5 )

Add (1) and (5)

3 k 2=6

k 2=2 ,Put in (1)

4 k 1 +2=6

k 1=1

k =2 ,put in (2)

−8=−2+2 k 3

−8+2=2 k 3

k 3=−3

Put k 1=1 ,k 2=2 , k 3=−3 in (4)

−8=−2 ( 1 )+ 3 (2 )+ 4 (−3 )

−8=−2+6−12

−8=−8

M =1 A +2 B−3 C

[−16 −8
−8 ] [−2 −2 ] [2 3 ] [ 1 4 ]
=
4 0
+2
1 −1
−3
0 2

[6 −8
]
So −1 −8 is linear combination of A, B and C.
Example 6:In each part the vectors are as linear combination of P1=2+ x + 4 x 2,
2 2
P2=1−x+3 x and P3=3+ 2 x +5 x
2
a) −9−7 x−15 x
2
b) 6+11 x +6 x
c) 0
2
d) 7+ 8 x +9 x

Solution: In order to form linear combination, we write

2
−9−7 x−15 x =k 1 P 1+ k 2 P2 + k 3 P3

−9−7 x−15 x 2=k 1 ( 2+ x+ 4 x 2 ) +k 2 ( 1−x +3 x 2 ) +k 3 ( 3+2 x−5 x 2 )

¿ ( 2 k 1 +k 2+3 k 3 ) + ( k 1 x−k 2 x+ 2 k 3 x ) + ( 4 k 1 x 2 +3 k 2 x2 −5 k 3 x 2 )
2 2
−9−7 x−15 x =( 2 k 1 +k 2 +3 k 3 ) + ( k 1−k 2+ 2 k 3 ) x + ( 4 k 1+3 k 2−5 k 3 ) x

Comparing equations on both sides, we get:

{
−9=2 k 1 +k 2+3 k 3−−−−(1)
−7=k 1−k 2 +2 k 3−−−−−(2)
−15=4 k 1 +3 k 2−5 k 3−−−−(3)

[ ]
2 1 3−9
1 −1 2−7
4 3 −5−15

[ ]
1 −1 2−7
2 1 3−9 R1 2
4 3 −5−15

[ ]
1 −1 2−7
0 3 −15 R 2−2 R 1 , R3−4 R1
0 7 −13 13

[ ]
1 −1 2−7
0 3 −15 R3 −2 R 2
0 1 −1 13
 [ ]
1 −1 2−7
0 1 −1 13 R23
0 3 −15

[ ]
1 0 −9−4
0 1 −113 R1 + R2 , R 3−3 R2
0 0 32−4

[ ]
1 0 −9−4
0 1 −113 1
R
1 32 3
0 0 1−
8

[ ]
41
1 0 0−
8
13
0 1 0 R 1+ 9 R 3 , R2 +11 R3
8
1
0 0 1−
8

−41 13 −1
As k 1= , k 2= , k 3=
8 8 8

−41
−9−7 x−15 x =
2
( 2+ x + 4 x 2) + 13 ( 1−x +3 x2 ) − 1 ( 3+2 x−5 x 2 )
8 8 8

So −9−7 x−15 x 2 is linear combination of P1 , P2 , P3 .