In mathematics, a bilinear map is a function combining elements of two to yield an element of a third vector space, and is Linear map in each of its arguments. Matrix multiplication is an example.
A bilinear map can also be defined for modules. For that, see the article pairing.
Definition
Vector spaces
Let
and
be three
over the same base field
. A bilinear map is a function
such that for all
, the map
is a
linear map from
to
and for all
, the map
is a linear map from
to
In other words, when we hold the second entry of the bilinear map fixed while letting the first entry vary, yielding
, the result is a linear operator, and similarly for when we hold the first entry fixed.
Such a map satisfies the following properties.
-
For any ,
-
The map is additive in both components: if and then and
If and we have for all then we say that B is symmetric. If X is the base field F, then the map is called a bilinear form, which are well-studied (for example: scalar product, inner product, and quadratic form).
Modules
The definition works without any changes if instead of vector spaces over a field
F, we use modules over a
commutative ring R. It generalizes to
n-ary functions, where the proper term is
Multilinear map.
For non-commutative rings R and S, a left R-module M and a right S-module N, a bilinear map is a map with T an -bimodule, and for which any n in N, is an R-module homomorphism, and for any m in M, is an S-module homomorphism. This satisfies
- B( r ⋅ m, n) = r ⋅ B( m, n)
- B( m, n ⋅ s) = B( m, n) ⋅ s
for all m in M, n in N, r in R and s in S, as well as B being Additive map in each argument.
Properties
An immediate consequence of the definition is that whenever or . This may be seen by writing the
zero vector 0
V as (and similarly for 0
W) and moving the scalar 0 "outside", in front of
B, by linearity.
The set of all bilinear maps is a linear subspace of the space (viz. vector space, module) of all maps from into X.
If V, W, X are finite-dimensional, then so is . For that is, bilinear forms, the dimension of this space is (while the space of linear forms is of dimension ). To see this, choose a basis for V and W; then each bilinear map can be uniquely represented by the matrix , and vice versa.
Now, if X is a space of higher dimension, we obviously have .
Examples
-
Matrix multiplication is a bilinear map .
-
If a vector space V over the carries an inner product, then the inner product is a bilinear map
-
In general, for a vector space V over a field F, a bilinear form on V is the same as a bilinear map .
-
If V is a vector space with dual space V∗, then the canonical evaluation map, is a bilinear map from to the base field.
-
Let V and W be vector spaces over the same base field F. If f is a member of V∗ and g a member of W∗, then defines a bilinear map .
-
The cross product in is a bilinear map
-
Let be a bilinear map, and be a linear map, then is a bilinear map on .
Continuity and separate continuity
Suppose
and
are topological vector spaces and let
be a bilinear map.
Then
b is said to be
if the following two conditions hold:
-
for all the map given by is continuous;
-
for all the map given by is continuous.
Many separately continuous bilinear that are not continuous satisfy an additional property: hypocontinuity.
All continuous bilinear maps are hypocontinuous.
Sufficient conditions for continuity
Many bilinear maps that occur in practice are separately continuous but not all are continuous.
We list here sufficient conditions for a separately continuous bilinear map to be continuous.
-
If X is a Baire space and Y is metrizable then every separately continuous bilinear map is continuous.
-
If are the of Fréchet spaces then every separately continuous bilinear map is continuous.
-
If a bilinear map is continuous at (0, 0) then it is continuous everywhere.
Composition map
Let
be
locally convex and let
be the composition map defined by
In general, the bilinear map
is not continuous (no matter what topologies the spaces of linear maps are given).
We do, however, have the following results:
Give all three spaces of linear maps one of the following topologies:
-
give all three the topology of bounded convergence;
-
give all three the topology of compact convergence;
-
give all three the topology of pointwise convergence.
-
If is an equicontinuous subset of then the restriction is continuous for all three topologies.
-
If is a barreled space then for every sequence converging to in and every sequence converging to in the sequence converges to in
See also
Bibliography
External links