Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 3 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
On , define the permutation and diagonal actions byThe inverse in the first formula gives a left action. Applying to every tensor factor and then reordering produces the same tensor as reordering and then applying . Thus the two actions commute. The Schur algebra isIt is the commutant of an operator algebra of the permutation action.
To identify this commutant, use the multilinear isomorphismConjugation by a permutation reorders the factors on the right. Therefore the invariant subspace is the space of symmetric tensors of degree in . It is spanned by . Indeed, the polarization identityexpresses every symmetrized elementary tensor as a linear combination of pure powers. Those symmetrized elementary tensors span the invariant subspace in characteristic zero.
One may restrict to invertible endomorphisms without changing the span. For fixed , the vector-valued polynomial has degree at most . Choose distinct values of away from the finitely many roots of . Polynomial interpolation expresses its constant term as a linear combination of those invertible tensor powers. ConsequentlyThe span is an algebra, since products are .
The image of is semisimple, as a quotient of a semisimple algebra. The double-centralizer theorem for semisimple operator algebras gives . Since the preceding computation says that is the span of the general linear action, the two actions are mutual commutants. More explicitly, semisimple module decomposition givesHere is the multiplicity space, with its natural general linear action. The commutant algebra is the product of the full endomorphism algebras of these multiplicity spaces. Hence each nonzero is irreducible, and distinct spaces have nonisomorphic general linear representations, because the operators span that commutant. A primitive picks a one-dimensional factor from , so is an equivalent realization of as a Schur module.
The range of shapes is exact. If has more than rows, a column antisymmetrizes more than vectors and its action vanishes by . Conversely, for at most rows place the th basis vector in every tensor position belonging to row of . Row symmetrization multiplies this tensor by . Column antisymmetrization is nonzero, because all vectors within each column are distinct, and its different permutations give distinct basis tensors. Thus . This proves the length bound for a Schur module and the stated Schur–Weyl duality. For , the empty partition and give the trivial version.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 36 2 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
Choose a collection of statistical paths through that are differentiable in quadratic mean. A statistical tangent set at is the set of their score functions. In particular each member belongs to , by the mean-zero score identity under quadratic-mean differentiability.
A statistical tangent set records which first-order directions the chosen statistical paths can realize. Its closed linear span in L2 space is the statistical tangent space. The tangent set consists of attainable scores; the tangent space also includes their linear combinations and limits.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 38 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
The autocovariance of an MA(1) process comes directly from shared noise terms:Work with the zero-mean white noise convention and . Put . Suppose the preceding finite-past innovations are mutually orthogonal. Their triangular relation to the observations means that they span the same finite past. For , is a linear combination of , so . Moreover,Projection onto this orthogonal basis therefore has only its last coefficient nonzero:The residual is orthogonal to the entire preceding span, proving the induction. Expanding its variance givesThe initialization is , , and . Each finite covariance matrix is a positive-definite matrix: the last observation in any nonzero finite linear combination contains a noise term absent from earlier observations. Thus all the projection denominators are positive. These are the finite-sample innovations of an MA(1) process, requiring no Gaussian assumption.
Substituting the covariances into the recursion givesThe denominator has a positive limit when . Taking limits gives . The permitted interval selectsFor , every coefficient is zero; at , the roots coincide. This is the limiting MA(1) innovations coefficient. The limiting innovation variance is correspondingly .
For the observed numerical case, and . The exact innovation calculations areTherefore the predictor of based on the two observations and its error variance areFor , the available information is still only . Since its covariances with both and are zero, its orthogonal projection onto that span is zero:This is two-step prediction for an MA(1) process. Applying the next one-step recursion would instead use an observed , which is not available here.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 ib Paper 4 17C Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-07
Use the Fourier transform convention , with inverse factor . Splitting the inverse integral at zero givesThis is the Poisson kernel for the upper half-plane at height .
Take the Fourier transform in of the Laplace equation. The transformed boundary-value problem isFor the general solution is a linear combination of and ; the two conditions set their coefficients to zero and one respectively. At , the solution is the constant one. Inverting therefore givesThe upper boundary holds pointwise. At the lower boundary the Dirac delta function must be interpreted distributionally: the kernel has integral one and concentrates at zero, so for every continuous compactly supported test function , . This also specifies the solution in the assumed class admitting the stated Fourier transforms.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 iii Paper 6 5 e Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
A local Maxwellian can be written as , with and coefficients depending on . Its logarithm is a linear combination of collision invariants, so and at each spatial point.
Comparing powers of in givesHere is the symmetric part of a matrix formed by the coefficients of the quadratic polynomial. For constants , choose , and . All four coefficient equations hold. The resulting expanding Gaussian solution of the Boltzmann equation isDirect verification is particularly simple: and are constant along free characteristic curves, so the transport derivative is zero. At fixed its logarithm is the displayed Maxwellian quadratic, so the collision term is also zero. Its spatial dependence is nonconstant, it is positive and rapidly decaying, and its Gaussian velocity integral is finite because . It is not a compactly supported example, nor does this final part require one.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 103 1 c i Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
The relevant centralizer of a subalgebra isEquivalently, it is the fixed subspace of under conjugation by . We prove the Olshanskii centralizer lemma directly, without assuming multiplicity-free restriction.
A permutation has one cycle containing , of some length . Let record the lengths of its other nontrivial cycles, omitting fixed points. Two permutations are conjugate under exactly when these data agree: a relabelling of the other letters identifies the distinguished cycles and all remaining cycles. Hence the sums over these conjugation orbits form a basis of .
Filter these orbit sums by the number of moved letters other than :If , the permutation fixes , and is already a conjugacy-class sum in . For , let be the class sum with nontrivial cycle lengths . ExpandTerms in which the star transpositions use distinct letters, disjoint from the support of the chosen term of , produce precisely , each with coefficient one. Indeed, a cycle through has a unique expression as an ordered product of star transpositions using each of its other letters once; the remaining cycles uniquely determine the term of .
Every other term moves fewer than letters outside . A repeated letter uses at most distinct such letters in the star product, and an overlap with the support of likewise reduces the size of their union. Since the whole product commutes with , these remaining terms are a linear combination of lower-filtered orbit sums. ThusInduction on , starting with the identity, puts every orbit sum in . The reverse inclusion holds because both proposed generators commute with . ThereforeIn particular this centralizer of a subalgebra is commutative: is commutative and commutes with it.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 328 3 i Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
The formal adjoint of is itself. With the bilinear convention used in Green second identity, take any complex-valued satisfying . The product rule for divergence gives the familyEquivalently, the differential one-formis a closed differential form. Arbitrary linear combinations of adjoint solutions give further members of this family. One can also write it as wherever , but the first formula has no division and remains valid at zeros of . For a sesquilinear convention replace by ; no such conjugation is built into the bilinear identity used below.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 336 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Use the geometrical optics conventionBecause and , differentiating gives an order-one physical angular frequency and order-one physical wavenumbers. Absorb a constant leading amplitude phase into and take real; for a complex amplitude the corresponding quadratic density is .
Substitution into the wave equation gives the eikonal equation for a variable-speed wave at leading order:Choose the positive-frequency branch , ; the negative branch can be treated in exactly the same way. The imaginary first-order terms giveMultiplying by puts this wave-action transport for a variable-speed wave in conservation form:Its density is and its flux is that density times the group velocity. Independently, equality of mixed wave phase derivatives givesThis phase compatibility in geometrical optics is essential when converting the differentiated dispersion relation into equations along rays.
For completeness let be a general local dispersion relation. Define ray tracing by . Using the chain rule in and the symmetry givesLikewise cancels its advective term because . Hence the Hamiltonian ray equations for a local dispersion relation areThe derivatives on the right hold the wavevector fixed. For this wave equation they reduce to
When , the ray invariants are and , while . For a monochromatic component with these fixed invariants write , soUsing the stated independence of from , the wave-action transport for a variable-speed wave becomes . ThereforeThis is the stationary wave amplitude in a stratified wavespeed; is the constant for that component or ray family.
At the proposed simple turning point of a variable-speed wave, take and . On the chosen positive branch this entails . DefineAs the ray approaches from below, andThe amplitude diverges and the vertical group velocity vanishes. The WKB approximation also fails its slow-variation condition when . The turning-point enhancement of wave amplitude shows that this divergence is a failure of the outer ray approximation, rather than an actual infinite solution.
To derive the inner wavefield directly, separate the conserved horizontal wave phase and frequency in the original differential equation:Dividing by gives . Set . The second derivative is of size , whereas , so the Airy scaling at a variable-speed wave turning point isThe first-derivative term is smaller by , and higher coefficients in the expansion of give the same relative order. Thus the general leading inner profile is a linear combination of the two Airy functions and . For decaying Airy continuation and ray reflection, if the physical continuation is bounded and decays into , its growing coefficient is zero. In that usual evanescent continuation the wavefield has the formWithout a condition in the evanescent region the corresponding term remains admissible locally; the given existence of a wavefield below the turning point alone does not select its coefficient.
Finally, the outer amplitude at distance is for and fixed nonzero . The oscillatory Airy turning-point connection formula has exactly the same envelope on the allowed side. Therefore the inner wavefield has magnitude . The decaying Airy continuation matches an incident and reflected pair of rays, so a single upward branch must be supplemented by its reflected branch near the turning point; no formal coefficient matching is needed to identify this magnitude.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ib Paper 1 1F iii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
If spans and has elements but is linearly dependent, a nontrivial linear combination equal to zero lets us remove one member without changing the span. This produces spanning vectors, whereas the standard basis contains linearly independent vectors, contradicting the Steinitz exchange lemma. Therefore . Together the three deductions establish that any two of the three properties imply the third. For , the only independent or zero-element family is the empty basis, and the same conclusions hold.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ib Paper 1 1F i Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
The Steinitz exchange lemma says that if span a vector space and are linearly independent, then , and after reordering the , the family still spans. Here is a proof. Suppose the first replacements have been made. Express in that spanning family. Some coefficient of a remaining must be nonzero, since otherwise belongs to the span of , contrary to linear independence. Solve for that and replace it by ; this preserves spanning. If , the first replacements leave a spanning family , contradicting linear independence of the first vectors. This proves both assertions.
Now suppose is linearly independent and spans . Express each member of the standard basis using finitely many members of , and let be the finite union of those members. Then spans. No element of can exist, since it would be a linear combination of and violate linear independence. Thus is finite. Applying the Steinitz exchange lemma in both directions to and the standard basis gives and . Hence .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ib Paper 4 1F Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
For a basis of the real vector space , the Gram-Schmidt process constructs an orthonormal basis successively:The inner product makes orthogonal to all earlier . Moreover , since otherwise would be a linear combination of its predecessors, contrary to linear independence. Induction gives . Starting with a basis of a linear subspace and extending it to a basis of gives the same construction with the first vectors spanning .
The orthogonal complement is . For every , set . Then and . If , then , so by definiteness of the inner product. Thus the direct sum isThis also covers and .
For the polynomial space, the form is immediately a symmetric bilinear form, and . A nonzero polynomial of degree of a polynomial at most two cannot have three distinct roots of a polynomial, so this form is an inner product for . For , the nonzero polynomial has . Therefore, among the stipulated positive integers,
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 108 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
For a probability measure-preserving system, strong mixing means that for every pair of measurable sets ,A sequence has convergence in density of a sequence to when for each the exceptional set has natural density zero. A weakly mixing measure-preserving transformation has convergence in density of to for every . Equivalently, because these correlations are bounded,Indeed the mean of the absolute discrepancy is at least times the exceptional frequency, while it is at most plus a uniform bound times that frequency. A signed Cesaro convergence of a sequence without absolute values is insufficient to define weak mixing.
The standard three-cut Chacon map is obtained by cutting and stacking. Start on with normalized Lebesgue measure, an initial tower consisting of , and a reservoir for spacers. At stage , cut every level of the current tower into three equal subintervals, producing three subcolumns. Add one new interval of the same width above the middle subcolumn. Stack the first subcolumn at the bottom, then the middle subcolumn with its spacer, then the third at the top. Define the partial transformation by translation from each level to the next, leaving the current top unmapped. These assignments extend the earlier partial transformation. Repeat indefinitely.
If is the number of levels and their width, thenHence , , and the stage- tower has measure . The spacers consume total measure , precisely the reservoir. The increasing partial maps give the Chacon map modulo null sets. The tower tops and unused reservoir have measures tending to zero, and the construction yields an invertible measure-preserving transformation. With marking an original level and a spacer, the tower words satisfy and , so the first new word is . This describes the spacer placement without needing a proof of well-definedness. The three-cut convention agrees with the classical constant spacer vector described in Ryzhikov's construction.
For the correlation assertion, take the L2 inner product to be , linear in its first argument, and put . The Koopman operator is an isometry on , even when is not invertible. For the hint givesTo extend rigorously to all test functions, centre the observable: . Invariance of the integral gives . LetFor each fixed , by the same isometry identity. Therefore the limit is zero for every finite linear combination of these orbit vectors. By the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality and , approximation extends this conclusion to every : the approximation error in the correlation is bounded by uniformly in . For , the correlation is identically zero because . The orthogonal decomposition by a closed subspace now gives the result for all . ThusThis is decay of autocorrelation implies weak convergence of an observable; no assumption that is an ergodic transformation, and no invertibility hypothesis was used, and is included.
Finally, strong mixing immediately implies the stated diagonal limit by taking . Conversely, suppose that limit holds for every . Apply the correlation result with and . Its hypothesis is exactly , and its conclusion isHence strong mixing is equivalent to diagonal set-correlation criterion for mixing. Using the orbit-span proof avoids an invalid polarization argument that would recover only the sum of the two directed cross-correlations from diagonal correlations.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 210 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
Use the natural cubic spline convention appropriate to the interior design knots: the spline is linear on and . We also need . These points will be important for uniqueness.
A cubic spline is a function in whose restriction to each of , , through is a polynomial of degree at most three. A spline knot is a junction between consecutive pieces. For a natural cubic spline, the two exterior pieces are affine functions; equivalently, one uses the natural endpoint conditions on the spline over and then extends linearly with matching derivatives. Merely prescribing on otherwise arbitrary exterior cubic pieces is a different condition and does not provide the unique interpolant invoked in this question.
The natural cubic spline interpolant to values is the natural cubic spline satisfying . Its existence and uniqueness for are the interpolant fact allowed in the PDF. The interpolation map is a linear map: a linear combination of interpolants satisfies the same spline, boundary and value conditions, so uniqueness identifies it with the interpolant to the corresponding linear combination of value vectors.
Let , let have the same values, and put . Then . We prove the orthogonalityApply integration by parts twice on each polynomial interval. On an interior interval, , andThe terms vanish because vanishes at the knots. The terms cancel at internal knots because and are continuous, and vanish at because is zero there. On the exterior intervals, identically. Summing therefore gives the claimed orthogonality without assuming that is continuous across knots.
Expanding the square now gives the minimum roughness property of the natural cubic spline interpolantEquality forces everywhere, since is continuous. Thus is an affine function. It vanishes at two distinct design points, so , proving equality if and only if .
For the penalized fit, take the allowed spline roughness penalty matrix to be a symmetric matrix with ; thus it is a positive semidefinite matrix. If its supplied representative were not symmetric, its symmetric part defines the same quadratic form and is all that is needed. For any , let . Replacing it by preserves every fitted value and can only decrease the second derivative roughness penalty. Therefore it is enough to minimizeover . The matrix is a positive-definite matrix, sinceCompleting the quadratic or differentiating gives the unique solutionThis is the cubic smoothing spline. More explicitly, the normal equations are , andFor an arbitrary function with fitted vector , the earlier orthogonality also givesBoth terms are nonnegative. Equality forces and, by the proved interpolation equality case, . This proves both existence in and uniqueness over the entire stated function class, not just over splines.
The argument is deterministic for each observed . The fixed-design nonparametric regression and homoscedasticity assumptions motivate the squared-error loss, but Gaussian errors are not required.
At least two distinct design points are required for uniqueness. Question 4 does not explicitly restate , and this hypothesis is necessary. With one design point, every function has zero residual and zero second derivative roughness penalty, for any real . Thus the printed unrestricted uniqueness conclusion would be false for . The corrected theorem assumes at least two distinct knots and the stated linear-tail convention. At , uniqueness over all of also fails; the stipulated eliminates that degeneracy.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 314 4 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Let the free surface be at and take the Newtonian gravitational potential to vanish at infinity. Mass conservation fixes . The enclosed mass is , and hydrostatic equilibrium requires . With vacuum outside, , givingThe pressure is zero outside. A prescribed constant external pressure would simply add that constant to .
The bulk Eulerian and Lagrangian fluid perturbations obey because the mass density is uniform and the Lagrangian displacement has zero divergence. The linearized Euler momentum equation in the interior isTaking the curl gives . Thus every nonzero-frequency normal mode has an irrotational flow displacement; the simply connected space formed by the interior admits and incompressibility gives the Laplace equation . For a regular center, one spherical harmonic component is , with .
It is essential to retain the surface gravity perturbation of a uniform-density sphere. Although the bulk mass density perturbation is zero, the displaced density discontinuity givesThe Poisson equation implies that is continuous and its outward radial derivative has the jumpUsing regularity at the center and decay at infinity, writeThe derivative jump is , so .
Integrating the bulk Euler momentum equation gives for . At the free surface the Lagrangian pressure perturbation vanishes:Combining these relations yields the Kelvin stellar mode frequencyThe choices of are degenerate because of spherical symmetry. For , is a linear combination of coordinates in a Cartesian coordinate system, so is a constant displacement: the zero frequency is rigid translation of the whole isolated body. Such a translation has no restoring force. The constant potential generates no displacement; a radial breathing motion is excluded by incompressibility and a regular center.
The printed irrotational assertion needs the nonzero-frequency qualification, or restriction to the potential incompressible stellar surface modes. It is false for all neutral displacements: has zero divergence, zero normal displacement at the surface, and , so it is a zero-frequency displacement, but . This does not change the Kelvin stellar mode spectrum just derived.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 2 20F c Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Suppose were a countable Hamel basis. Put . Each is a finite-dimensional, hence closed, linear subspace of . It is proper because is infinite dimensional, and therefore a nowhere dense set. A Hamel basis means that every vector is a finite linear combination, so . This contradicts the Baire category theorem for the Banach space . Hence an infinite-dimensional Banach space has no countable Hamel basis. The same proof excludes any countable algebraic spanning set.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 iii Paper 307 1 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
Work in four-dimensional Minkowski spacetime, with in a unitary representation. The usual Super-Poincaré algebra has the Poincare algebra and possible internal Lorentz scalars as its even generators, and only the stated Weyl spinors as its odd generators. This closure assumption is essential: Lorentz covariance alone would also permit additional tensor-valued generators. It is the setting selected by the Haag–Łopuszański–Sohnius theorem for ordinary interacting relativistic theories.
The Spinor representation of the Lorentz group givesHere denotes the Lorentz algebra matrices in the convention of the paper. Moving to the left changes the sign; definitions using Hermitian Lorentz algebra generators may also put an explicit into these matrices. The conjugate relation acts on the dotted Weyl spinor indices.
The tensor product of group representationsis a Lorentz four-vector. The only such even generator is , so the mixed anticommutator must beApplying Hermitian conjugation makes a Hermitian matrix. Positivity of for every linear combination of supercharges makes a positive semidefinite matrix on a positive-energy physical superalgebra representation. Remove any null supercharges, which act trivially, and use a unitary diagonalization of a normal matrix followed by rescaling to obtain . Thus counts the independent nontrivial supercharges.
For equal chirality, the tensor product of group representations isConsequently the tentative equal-chirality anticommutator can contain and a symmetric spinor tensor , where is the intertwining operator for Lorentz covariance onto . Symmetry of the anticommutator under forces and . At this stage is an internal Lorentz scalar, hence commutes with ; its full centrality will follow below.
To determine the commutator with translations, Lorentz covariance and the absence of additional odd generators leave onlyand the relation obtained by Hermitian conjugation. The graded Jacobi identity for , using , giveswhere means entrywise complex conjugation. This equation alone would not imply . Contract the graded Jacobi identitywith . The term drops out because its spinor tensor is symmetric, and makes the remaining left side vanish. Substitution of the mixed anticommutator makes the right side a nonzero numerical multiple of . Thus . It follows that and , whence . Applying Hermitian conjugation proves the same assertion for :Returning to the uncontracted graded Jacobi identity now gives . Since the Lorentz algebra generators do not commute with translations, the tentative term must have . HenceIn particular for . The dotted-dotted anticommutator follows by Hermitian conjugation applied to the second relation.
The graded Jacobi identity for , together with , gives . As a Lorentz scalar, commutes with , and it already commutes with . Closure and Lorentz covariance make for some coefficients. Apply the graded Jacobi identity once more:Thus . Since every and is itself an anticommutator of supercharges, the 's also commute with each other and their conjugates. Therefore are central charges in supersymmetry of the displayed algebra. Additional R-symmetry automorphisms are not among the generators specified here.
For boson-fermion degeneracy in a supermultiplet, fix a physical four-momentum with , and take the finite internal space of states at that four-momentum. Let be fermion parity. It anticommutes with each supercharge and its adjoint. For any fixed , summing the diagonal spinor indices givesbecause and the Pauli matrices are traceless. Cyclicity of the operator trace and implyThe supertrace of the preceding summed anticommutator therefore vanishes:This counts physical boson and fermion degrees of freedom, including polarizations. The phrase “any representation” needs a qualification: a one-dimensional even supersymmetric vacuum with has one boson and no fermion. Thus the equality applies to positive-energy physical supermultiplets with finite state counts at fixed four-momentum, not to arbitrary abstract superalgebra representations or unregulated infinite-dimensional operator traces.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 ii Paper 4 3H Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
A binary linear-feedback shift register of length stores bits. At each clock it outputs one bit, shifts the state, and inserts a fixed linear combination over of the stored bits. Equivalently, its output obeys a recurrence
The Berlekamp-Massey algorithm processes the observed symbols from left to right. It maintains the shortest current connection polynomial , its degree , and a saved polynomial from the most recent degree increase. At step it computes the discrepancyIf , the current recurrence already predicts the new symbol. If , a shifted multiple of the saved polynomial is added to to cancel the discrepancy; when , the algorithm also replaces by and saves the old polynomial.
For the observed binary sequence, the nonzero-discrepancy updates areAll discrepancies through then vanish. Thus the shortest recurrence isor, equivalently, . The connection polynomial is , and with the reciprocal convention the feedback polynomial is
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 ib Paper 1 1F Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-29
A basis of a vector space is a family of vectors that is both linearly independent and a spanning set of .
Write the given finite basis as . First, any other basis must also be finite. Each is a finite linear combination of elements of , so the union of the finitely many elements of occurring in these expressions is finite. Since spans every , it spans . If some existed, then would lie in the span of , contradicting the linear independence of . Hence ; write .
It remains to prove the elementary Steinitz exchange lemma directly. If independent vectors lie in the span of , express in terms of the . Some coefficient is nonzero, so the corresponding can be solved for in terms of and the other ; replacing it by preserves the span. Inductively, after replacing of the by , the expression for must have a nonzero coefficient on one of the unreplaced , since otherwise would be a linear combination of . That can again be replaced. There are only original vectors to replace, so .