Suppose v,xv,x are vectors in VV and U,WU,W are subspaces of VV such that v+U=x+Wv+U=x+W. Prove that U=WU = W.


We add −x-x to both sides to get (v−x)+U=W(v-x) + U = W which, since (v−x)+U(v-x)+U is a subspace it must contain zero implying (x−v)∈U(x-v) \in U and (since UU contains inverses) (v−x)∈U(v-x) \in U finally giving (v−x)+U=U=W(v-x)+U=U=W.

If you're uncomfortable with adding −x-x to both sides feel free to rewrite it in terms of components.