Dimension (vector space)

In mathematics, the dimension of a vector space V is the cardinality (i.e. the number of vectors) of a basis of V over its base field. It is sometimes called Hamel dimension (after Georg Hamel) or algebraic dimension to distinguish it from other types of dimension. In mathematics, the dimension of a vector space V is the cardinality (i.e. the number of vectors) of a basis of V over its base field. It is sometimes called Hamel dimension (after Georg Hamel) or algebraic dimension to distinguish it from other types of dimension. For every vector space there exists a basis, and all bases of a vector space have equal cardinality; as a result, the dimension of a vector space is uniquely defined. We say V is finite-dimensional if the dimension of V is finite, and infinite-dimensional if its dimension is infinite. The dimension of the vector space V over the field F can be written as dimF(V) or as , read 'dimension of V over F'. When F can be inferred from context, dim(V) is typically written. The vector space R3 has as a standard basis, and therefore we have dimR(R3) = 3. More generally, dimR(Rn) = n, and even more generally, dimF(Fn) = n for any field F. The complex numbers C are both a real and complex vector space; we have dimR(C) = 2 and dimC(C) = 1. So the dimension depends on the base field.