How many subspaces can be formed in a vector space over a finite field?

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In summary, a vector space over a finite field is a mathematical structure that consists of a set of elements that can be added and multiplied by elements from a finite field. It follows certain axioms and the number of elements in a finite field is always a prime number or a power of a prime number. Subspaces in a vector space over a finite field are formed by taking a subset of vectors that satisfies the same axioms as the original space. The number of subspaces in a vector space over a finite field is finite and can be determined using the dimension formula, which involves combinatorics and linear algebra techniques.
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Euge
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Here is this week's POTW:

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Find a formula for the number of subspaces of a vector space of dimension $n$ over a finite field with $p$ elements.

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Remember to read the https://mathhelpboards.com/showthread.php?772-Problem-of-the-Week-%28POTW%29-Procedure-and-Guidelines to find out how to https://mathhelpboards.com/forms.php?do=form&fid=2!
 
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No one answered this week's problem. You can read my solution below.
Let $V$ be an $n$-vector space over a finite field $\Bbb F_p$ of $p$ elements. The number of subspaces of $V$ is

$$1 + \sum_{k = 1}^n \frac{(p^n - 1)(p^n - p)\cdots (p^n - p^{k-1})}{(p^k - 1)(p^k - p)\cdots (p^k - p^{k-1})}$$

Let $k$ be a fixed integer $>1$. First we enumerate the number of subspaces of dimension $k$. A $k$-dimensional subspace is formed by $k$ linearly independent vectors. The first independent vector $v_1$ must be nonzero, so there are $p^n - 1$ choices for $v_1$. Having chosen independent vectors $v_1,\ldots, v_{j}$, we choose $v_{j+1}$ outside the $j$-dimensional subspace spanned by $v_1,\ldots, v_j$, which has $p^j$ elements. Hence there are $p^n - p^j$ ways to choose $v_{j+1}$. Thus, there are $(p^n - 1)(p^n - p)\cdots (p^n - p^{k-1})$ ways to form a linearly independent set $\{v_1,\ldots, v_k\}$ of $k$-vectors. However, there may be repetition: two sets of $k$-linearly independent vectors span the same subspace if and only if they are bases of the subspace. So we divide by the total number of bases of a vector space of dimension $k$. A similar argument to the one given is $(p^k - 1)(p^k - p)\cdots (p^k - p^{k-1})$. So there are
$$\frac{(p^n - 1)(p^n - p)\cdots (p^n - p^{k-1})}{(p^k - 1)(p^k - p)\cdots (p^k - p^{k-1})}$$ subspaces of $V$ of dimension $k$. Since there is only one subspace of dimension zero, the total number of subspaces of $V$ is

$$\sum_{k = 0}^n (\text{no. of subspaces of $V$ of dimension $k$}) = 1 + \sum_{k = 1}^n \frac{(p^n - 1)(p^n - p)\cdots (p^n - p^{k-1})}{(p^k - 1)(p^k - p)\cdots (p^k - p^{k-1})}$$
 

FAQ: How many subspaces can be formed in a vector space over a finite field?

1. What is a vector space over a finite field?

A vector space over a finite field is a mathematical structure that consists of a set of elements (vectors) that can be added and multiplied by elements from a finite field. It follows certain axioms such as closure, associativity, and distributivity, among others.

2. How many elements are in a finite field?

The number of elements in a finite field is known as the order of the field. It is always a prime number or a power of a prime number. For example, the finite field with order 7 would have elements {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}.

3. How are subspaces formed in a vector space over a finite field?

In a vector space over a finite field, a subspace is formed by taking a subset of vectors from the original space that satisfies the same axioms as the original space. This means that the subset must be closed under addition and scalar multiplication.

4. Is the number of subspaces in a vector space over a finite field finite or infinite?

The number of subspaces in a vector space over a finite field is finite. This is because a finite field has a finite number of elements, and therefore a finite number of possible combinations for forming subspaces.

5. How can the number of subspaces in a vector space over a finite field be determined?

The number of subspaces in a vector space over a finite field can be determined using the dimension formula, which states that the number of subspaces is equal to the sum of the dimensions of all possible subspaces. This can be calculated using combinatorics and linear algebra techniques.

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