Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2023/prelims/mathematics-i/2/b/iii/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Oxford 2023 Prelims Mathematics I 2 b iii Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
If with , then if and only if , so their kernels agree. Conversely, suppose both nonzero linear functionals have kernel . Choose with , by scaling a vector on which is nonzero. For each ,Therefore . Moreover , since . Thus , with a nonzero scalar.
Every nonzero linear functional is surjective, so its kernel has dimension by the rank-nullity theorem. Conversely, every hyperplane is such a kernel: extend a basis of by one vector , and assign value zero on that basis and value one on . Hence the hyperplanes containing are exactly the kernels of the nonzero linear functionals counted above. Each kernel occurs for exactly of them, its distinct nonzero scalar multiples. The required number is
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