Isomorphism theorems Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-13
The isomorphism theorems relate homomorphisms, their kernels and images, and quotient constructions in algebra. For groups, the first isomorphism theorem identifies a homomorphism's image with the quotient group by its group kernel. Analogous statements include the first isomorphism theorem for rings and the First isomorphism theorem for vector spaces: identifying precisely the inputs with the same output preserves the remaining algebraic structure.
The annihilator of a vector subspace isChoose a basis of and extend it to a basis of . In the dual basis, precisely span . ThereforeThe canonical restriction linear transformationhas kernel of a linear map . It is surjective: extend any linear functional on by assigning arbitrary values, for instance zero, to the additional basis vectors. The First isomorphism theorem for vector spaces gives the explicit linear isomorphismIt is natural because the displayed map itself makes no basis choice; a basis was used only to prove surjectivity. In particular, is canonically a quotient vector space of , rather than canonically a subspace of .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2021 ib Paper 3 9E a i Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
The direct sum consists of pairs with componentwise vector-space operations. The canonical inclusions areFor subspaces , defineThis is surjective, andThe First isomorphism theorem for vector spaces therefore gives