Direct sums of linear codes #
This file defines the direct sum of two linear codes with an arbitrary module alphabet on the disjoint union of their coordinate types. A word belongs to the direct sum precisely when its restrictions to the two summands belong to the respective codes. Inclusion and equality of direct sums are therefore decided summandwise.
The direct sum is identified linearly with the product of the two codes. Consequently its dimension
is the sum of the dimensions and its cardinality is the product of the cardinalities. Hamming weight
and distance are additive across the two coordinate summands; consequently a natural number
divides all weights of a direct sum exactly when it divides all weights of both summands.
Canonical reindexings by the commutativity and associativity equivalences for Sum give the
corresponding code identities. Relabelling, or monomially transforming, the two coordinate blocks
separately acts on the two constituent codes separately. Hence permutation and monomial
equivalence are compatible with direct sums, and the direct sum is commutative and associative up
to permutation equivalence.
The construction follows the direct-sum convention in Huffman and Pless, Fundamentals of Error-Correcting Codes, Section 1.6.
The direct sum of two linear codes, on the disjoint union of their coordinate types.
Instances For
A word belongs to a direct sum exactly when each of its two restrictions belongs to the corresponding code.
A word of the first code, extended by zeros, belongs to a direct sum.
A word of the second code, extended by zeros, belongs to a direct sum.
The direct sum is linearly equivalent to the product of its two constituent codes.
Instances For
One direct sum lies in another exactly when the constituent codes lie in each other.
Two direct sums are equal exactly when their constituent codes are equal.
Reindexing a direct sum by swapping the coordinate summands swaps the two codes.
Reindexing an iterated direct sum by associating its coordinate summands associates the three codes in the same way.
Relabelling the two coordinate blocks of a direct sum separately relabels the two constituent codes.
A direct sum is permutation equivalent to the direct sum taken in the other order.
An iterated direct sum is permutation equivalent to the direct sum associated the other way.
A monomial transformation acting blockwise on the two coordinate summands maps a direct sum to the direct sum of the images of the two constituent codes.
The dimension of a direct sum is the sum of the dimensions of its constituent codes.
The cardinality of a direct sum is the product of the cardinalities of its constituent codes.
Hamming weight is additive on words in a direct sum.
All weights of a direct sum are divisible by k exactly when this holds in both
constituent codes.
Hamming distance is additive on pairs of words in a direct sum.
Permutation equivalence is compatible with direct sums: relabellings of the two summands combine to a relabelling of the direct sum.
Monomial equivalence is compatible with direct sums: monomial transformations of the two summands combine blockwise to one of the direct sum.