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Linear combination
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<p>In <a href="/facts/Mathematics/pxTouaz4">mathematics</a>, a linear combination or superposition is an <a href="/facts/Expression_(mathematics)/MPrMlYbE">expression</a> constructed from a <a href="/facts/Set_(mathematics)/BfucfHMq">set</a> of terms by multiplying each term by a constant and adding the results (e.g. a linear combination of <i>x</i> and <i>y</i> would be any expression of the form <i>ax</i> + <i>by</i>, where <i>a</i> and <i>b</i> are constants). The concept of linear combinations is central to <a href="/facts/Linear_algebra/8VaB4VWk">linear algebra</a> and related fields of mathematics. Most of this article deals with linear combinations in the context of a <a href="/facts/Vector_space/M1pxMLx2">vector space</a> over a <a href="/facts/Field_(mathematics)/xAjAS4ko">field</a>, with some generalizations given at the end of the article. </p>