Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2024 / ib / Paper 1 / 1G (Linear Algebra)

For a linear map $T:V\to W$, its rank is $\dim \mathrm{im}T$ and its nullity is $\dim \ker T$. The rank-nullity theorem states that, when $V$ is finite-dimensional,To prove it, take a basis $v_1,\dots ,v_k$ of $\ker T$ and extend it to a basisof $V$. The vectors $T{v}_{k+1},\dots ,T{v}_n$ span $\mathrm{im}T$. They are also linearly independent: if ${\sum }_{j=k+1}^n{a}_{j}T{v}_j=0$, then ${\sum }_{j=k+1}^n{a}_j{v}_j\in \ker T$, and independence of the chosen basis forces every $a_j$ to vanish. Thus the rank is $n-k$ and the nullity is $k$.

For the given subspace, row reduction of the coefficient matrix givesTaking $x_3=s$ and $x_5=t$ therefore givesHenceis a basis of $W$.