Fact : The only subspaces of R2 are {0}, R2 , and any set L of the form

L = {cu : c ∈ R, u ̸= 0} consisting of all scalar multiples of a nonzero vector

u. Geometrically, L is a straight line in the plane R2 through the origin 0.

Proof : Clearly, {0} and R2 are subspaces of R2 . If 0 ̸= u ∈ R2 then

span{u} = {cu : c ∈ R} = set of all scalar multiples of u

is a subspace of R2 by Theorem 1, Section 4.4.

To show that these are the only subspaces of R2 , assume that W ⊂ R2 is any
subspace of R2 . Since W ⊂ R2 is a subspace of R2 , we have that 0 ∈ W. If
W ̸= {0} then there is a vector 0 ̸= u ∈ W, and hence W contains cu for
every c ∈ R. If W ̸= span{u}, then there is a vector v ∈ W so that v ̸= ku
for any k ∈ R.

Then z = cu + dv ∈ span{u, v} for any c, d ∈ R . Since W is a subspace,

cu and dv ∈ W for any c, d ∈ R, and hence so does z = cu + dv. Thus
z ∈ span{u, v} ⇒ z ∈ W, and so span{u, v} ⊂ W ⊂ R2 .

Claim : span{u, v} = R2 .
[ ]
x1
To this end, we show that R ⊂ span{u, v}. Let x =
2
∈ R2 be any
[ ] [ ] [ x
] [ ]
2
u1 0 v1 0
vector in R , and let u =
2
̸= and v = ̸= . We show
u2 0 v2 0
that there are real numbers c and d so that cu + dv = x; i.e,
[ ] [ ] [ ]
cu1 dv1 x1
+ = ;
cu2 dv2 x2

that is, [ ][ ]] [
u 1 v1 c x1
= . (i)
u 2 v2 d x2
[ ] [ ]
u1 0
Recall that v ̸= ku for any k ∈ R. Since u = ̸= assume that
[ ] [ ] u2 0
v1 0
u1 ̸= 0, and since ku ̸= v = ̸= assume that v2 ̸= 0. Then
v2 0
[ ] [ ]
u1 v1 RREF 1 0
A= −→ (Show this – HW).
u2 v2 0 1

Hence A is row equivalent to I2 , and so by Theorem 4 of Section 2.2, A is

invertible and so Equation (i) has a unique solution for c and d. Thus for
any x ∈ R2 we can find real numbers c and d such that x = cu + dv. Hence
x ∈ R2 ⇒ x ∈ span{u, v}. Thus R2 ⊂ span{u, v} ⊂ W ⊂ R2 . Hence
span{u, v} = W = R2 , and so the only subspaces of R2 are {0}, R2 , and
L = {cu : u ̸= 0, c ∈ R}. 

1
Fact : The only subspaces of R3 are {0}, R2 , R3 , and any set L of the form
L = {cu : c ∈ R, u ̸= 0} consisting of all scalar multiples of a nonzero vector
u (geometrically, L is a straight line in R3 through the origin 0), and any
subset P of the form P = {cu + dv : c, d ∈ R, u, v ̸= 0, v ̸= ku} (this is a
span of the two linearly independent vectors u, v and geometrically, P is a
plane in R3 through the origin 0).