[Math] difference between normed linear space and inner product space

functional-analysisinner-productslinear algebranormed-spaces

I've seen that the definitions of normed linear space and inner product space for a complex vector space $V$ are very close to each other except for the fact that one is defined on $V$ and the other on $V\times V.$ The properties are almost the same. I don't understand what are the differences except for the fact mentioned above. Do both of them have their own importance in the context that both of them provide a properties that are not obtainable by studying the other?

Best Answer

If you have an inner product space $\left(E, \varphi\right)$, it has a natural structure as a normed vector space: $\left(E,x\mapsto \sqrt{\varphi(x,x)}\right)$ but the other way around isn't true. There are norms that do not come from inner products.

And example with $E=\Bbb R^2$

If you take $\varphi:\left(\left(x_1,y_1\right),\left(x_2,y_2\right)\right)\mapsto x_1x_2+y_1y_2$ you have an inner product.

And if you let $N_2:\left(x,y\right) \mapsto \sqrt{\varphi\left(\left(x,y\right),\left(x,y\right)\right)}=\sqrt{x^2+y^2}$, you get the norm you know.

But there are other norms such as $N_\infty:(x,y)\mapsto \max(x,y)$ that can't be built from an inner product.

By the way, if your norm $N$ does come from an inner product, you can get the inner product back by letting $\psi:(x,y)\mapsto \cfrac{N(x+y) ^2-N(x-y)^2}{4}$

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