[Math] Proof that if we add a vector to a linearly dependent set of vectors in a vector space $V$, then the new set of vectors is still linearly dependent

linear algebraproof-writingvector-spaces

Prove that if $S=\{v_1, v_2, v_3\}$ is a linearly dependent set of vectors in a vector space $V$, and $v_4$ is any vector in $V$ that is not in $S$, then $\{v_1, v_2, v_3, v_4\}$ is also linearly dependent.

If the vectors in $S$ are linearly dependent, each vector in $S$ can be written as linear combinations of the other vectors. If add a vector $v_4$, and multiply this vector by a scalar $k=0$, then the vectors $\{v_1,v_2,v_3\}$ can still be written as linear combinations of each other.

Is this a proof?

Best Answer

A set of vectors is linearly dependent if and only if there is a nontrivial linear combination of the vectors in the set which is zero. Nontrivial here means that there is at least one nonzero coefficient in the linear combination.

It should be immediately obvious then that you can append ANY set of vectors, finite or infinite, even uncountable, to a linearly dependent set and the result is still a linearly dependent set. That's because once you have a nontrivial linear combination summing to zero, you can throw any additional vectors into that sum with all additional coefficients identically zero; this means that (1) the sum is still zero, and (2) the linear combination is still nontrivial.

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