Given vector spaces V and W (over the same field F), with bases v1,…,vm and w1,…,wn respectively, the tensor product V ⊗ W may be defined as the vector space spanned by the formal symbols vi ⊗ wj. This then defines a vector space of dimension mn.
More naturally, V ⊗ W may be defined without reference to bases, as the dual space of the space of bilinear maps B: V × W → F via (v ⊗ w)(B) = B(v,w). Further, Hom(V,W) is then isomorphic to V* ⊗ W via (f ⊗ w)(v) = f(v)w.