A vector space over a field F is a set V equipped with two operations (functions) +:V×V→V and ⋅:F×V→V such that for all u,v,w∈V and a,b∈F:
u+v=v+u,(u+v)+w=u+(v+w),∃0∈V: v+0=v,∀v∈V ∃(−v)∈V: v+(−v)=0,a⋅(u+v)=a⋅u+a⋅v,(a+b)⋅v=a⋅v+b⋅v,(ab)⋅v=a⋅(b⋅v),1⋅v=v.
Vector spaces are the basic objects studied via linear maps and invariants such as the determinant and eigenvalues of operators.