2025-05-25

1127: q-Covectors Space Has Basis That Consists of Wedge Products of Increasing Elements of Dual Basis

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description/proof of that q-covectors space has basis that consists of wedge products of increasing elements of dual basis

Topics


About: vectors space

The table of contents of this article


Starting Context



Target Context


  • The reader will have a description and a proof of the proposition that the q-covectors space of any vectors space has the basis that consists of the wedge products of the increasing elements of the dual basis of the vectors space.

Orientation


There is a list of definitions discussed so far in this site.

There is a list of propositions discussed so far in this site.


Main Body


1: Structured Description


Here is the rules of Structured Description.

Entities:
F: { the fields }
V: { the finite-dimensional F vectors spaces }
Λq(V:F): = the q -covectors space 
B: { the bases for V}={bl|1ldimV}
B: = the dual basis for B={bl|1ldimV}
B~: ={bj1...bjq|l{1,...,q}(1jldimV)j1<...<jq}
//

Statements:
B~{ the bases for Λq(V:F)}
//

Let us call B~ "the standard basis with respect to B": it is not determined unless B is specified.


3: Proof


Whole Strategy: Step 1: see that B~ spans Λq(V:F); Step 2: see that B~ is linearly independent.

Step 1:

Let us see that B~ spans Λq(V:F).

Let tΛq(V:F) be any.

As Λq(V:F)L(V,...,V:F), tL(V,...,V:F).

By the proposition that for any field and any k finite-dimensional vectors spaces over the field, the tensors space with respect to the field and the vectors spaces and the field has the basis that consists of the tensor products of the elements of the dual bases of any bases of the vectors spaces, L(V,...,V:F) has the standard basis with respect to B, {bj1...bjk|l{1,...,k}(1jldimV)}.

So, t=tj1,...,jkbj1...bjk.

As t is antisymmetric, t=Asym(t)=Asym(tj1,...,jkbj1...bjk)=tj1,...,jkAsym(bj1...bjk)=tj1,...,jk1/k!bj1...bjk, by a property of wedge product of multicovectors.

For each term such that {j1,...,jk} is not distinct, the term is 0, by a property of wedge product of multicovectors.

For each term such that (j1,...,jk) is not increasing, there is a permutation, σSk, such that (jσ1,...,jσk) is increasing, and bj1...bjk=cbσ1...bσk where c is 1 or 1, by a property of wedge product of multicovectors.

So, t is a linear combination of B~.

Step 2:

Let us see that B~ is linearly independent.

Let cj1,...,jkbj1...bjk=0 where j1<...<jk.

For each fixed (j1,...,jk), let cj1,...,jkbj1...bjk operate on (bj1,...,bjk).

cj1,...,jkbj1...bjk((bj1,...,bjk))=0((bj1,...,bjk))=0.

But the only possibly nonzero term of the left hand side is cj1,...,jkbj1...bjk((bj1,...,bjk)), because any other term has a bjl such that jl{j1,...,jk} and bj1...bjk((bj1,...,bjk))=0, because bjl(bjm)=0 for each m.

bj1...bjk((bj1,...,bjk))=det(bjl(bjm))=detI=1, by a property of wedge product of multicovectors.

So, cj1,...,jk=0.

So, B~ is linearly independent.


References


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