Real vector space

A real vector space is a vector space over the field $\mathbb{R}$ of real numbers.

For real vectors of equal length and equal sum, write $x\prec y$ when ${\sum }_{j=1}^k{x}_j^{\downarrow }\le {\sum }_{j=1}^k{y}_j^{\downarrow }$ for every proper initial segment; the downward arrow means decreasing rearrangement. Majorization compares how unevenly a fixed total is distributed. The uniform probability vector is majorized by every probability vector, while $(1,0,\dots ,0)$ majorizes every probability vector. The order controls exact pure-state entanglement conversion in Nielsen's pure-state conversion theorem.

For decreasing positive sequences in ${\ell }^1$, write $x\prec y$ if every initial partial sum of $x$ is at most the corresponding partial sum of $y$ and the finite total sums agree. The finiteness requirement matters: equality of two divergent totals interpreted as infinity is too weak to guarantee a doubly stochastic realization of summable-sequence majorization.

Decreasing strictly positive summable sequences with equal totals and $x\prec y$ admit an infinite doubly stochastic matrix realizing the displayed relation. Choose $k$ with $y_k\ge x_1>y_{k+1}$ and average the pair to obtain $x_1$ and $y_k+y_{k+1}-x_1$. The remaining decreasing sequence majorizes the remaining target sequence: short initial sums contain values at least $x_1$, and longer sums are the old sums minus $x_1$. Repeat on the tail, freezing one normalized finite-support row at each stage. Limit column sums are at most one; Tonelli's theorem, equal finite totals and strict positivity of every $y_j$ force every column sum to equal one.