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Cofactor Matrix
The co-factor matrix is formed with the co-factors of the elements of the given matrix. The c

The co-factor matrix is useful to find the adjoint of the matrix and the inverse of the given ma

What Is Co-factor Matrix?

Co-factor matrix is a matrix having the co-factors as the elements of the matrix. First, let us

Cij = (−1)i+j )Mij

Here first we need to find the minor of the element of the matrix and then the co-factor, to ob

a11 a12 a13

A= a21 a22 a23
a31 a32 a33
The minor of the element a12 is as follows.

a21 a23
M12 = [ ]
a31 a33
Similarly, we can find all the minors of the matrix and we can form the minor matrix M of the g

M11 M12 M13

Minor Matrix= M21 M22 M23
M31 M32 M33
:
 (−1)1+1 M11 (−1)1+2 M12 (−1)1+3 M13
Co-factor Matrix = (−1)2+1 M21 (−1)2+2 M22 (−1)2+3 M23
(−1)3+1 M31 (−1)3+2 M32 (−1)3+3 M33
+M11 −M12 +M13
= −M21 +M22 −M23
+M31 −M32 +M33
C11 C12 C13
= C21 C22 C23
C31 C32 C33

How to Find the Co-factor Matrix?

The following four simple steps are helpful to find the co-factor matrix of the given matrix.

First, find the minor of each element of the matrix by excluding the row and column of tha
Secondly, find the minor element value by taking the determinant of the remaining part o
.The third step involves finding the co-factor of the element by multiplying the minor of th
The fourth steps involves forming a new matrix with the co-factors of the elements of the
:
 a11 a12 a13
A= a21 a22 a23
a31 a32 a33
∣a a23 ∣
Co-factor of a11 = C11 = (−1)1+1 ∣ 22 ∣ = +(a22 . a33 − a23 . a32 )
∣ a32 a33 ∣
∣ a11 a12 ∣
Co-factor of a23 = C23 = (−1)2+3 ∣ ∣ = −(a11 . a32 − a12 . a31 )
∣ a31 a32 ∣
∣a a13 ∣
Co-factor of a32 = C23 = (−1)2+3 ∣ 11 ∣ = −(a11 . a23 − a13 . a21 )
∣ a21 a23 ∣
Similarly we can find the co-factor of each element of the matrix A. Further we can form the c

C11 C12 C13

Co-factor Matrix of A = C21 C22 C23
C31 C32 C33
:
Applications of Co-factor Matrix
The following are the important applications of the co-factor matrix. The co-factor matrix is

Determinant of a matrix

The determinant of a matrix is a summary value and is calculated using the elements of the m

a11 a12 a13

A= a21 a22 a23
a31 a32 a33
Then determinant formula of matrix A is as follows.

∣ a22 a23 ∣ ∣a a23 ∣ ∣a a22 ∣

|A| = a11 (−1)1+1 ∣ ∣ + a12 (−1)1+2 ∣ 21 ∣ + a13 (−1)1+3 ∣ 21 ∣
∣ a32 a33 ∣ ∣ a31 a33 ∣ ∣ a31 a32 ∣

Adjoint of the matrix

The adjoint of a 3 x 3 matrix can be obtained by following two simple steps. First we need to

A11 A12 A13 A11

Adj A = Transpose of Co-factor Matrix = Transpose of A21 A22 A23 = A12
A31 A32 A33 A13

Inverse of a Matrix

The inverse of a matrix can be computed by dividing the adjoint of a matrix by the determina

a11 a12 a13

A= a21 a22 a23
a31 a32 a33
∣ a22 a23 ∣ ∣a a23 ∣ ∣a a22 ∣
|A| = a11 (−1)1+1 ∣ ∣ + a12 (−1)1+2 ∣ 21 ∣ + a13 (−1)1+3 ∣ 21 ∣
∣ a32 a33 ∣ ∣ a31 a33 ∣ ∣ a31 a32 ∣
A11 A12 A13 A11
Adj A = Transpose of Co-factor Matrix = Transpose of A21 A22 A23 = A12
A31 A32 A33 A13
:
 A11 A21 A31
1
A-1 = . A12 A22 A32
|A|
A13 A23 A33
Related Topics

The following related topics are helpful for a better understanding of co-factor matrix.

Square Matrix
Types of Matrices
Matrix Formula
Transpose of a Matrix
Adjoint of a Matrix
Inverse of a Matrix
Symmetric Matrix
Skew Symmetric Matrix

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Examples on Co-factor Matrix

−4 7
Example 1: Find the co-factor matrix of the matrix [ ].
−11 9
Solution:

−4 7
The given matrix [ ] represents a 2 × 2 matrix.
−11 9
a b d −c
For a matrix A = [ ], the co-factor matrix of A = [ ]
c d −b a
9 11
Hence the co-factor matrix of the given matrix is = [ ]
−7 −4
9 11
Answer: Therefore the co-factor matrix is [ ].
−7 −4
:
 Practice Questions on Co-factor Matrix

FAQs on Co-factor Matrix

What is Co-factor Matrix?

How to Find the Co-factor Matrix?

How to Find the Co-factor Matrix of a 2 × 2 Matrix?

:
 The co-factor matrix of a 2 x 2 matrix can be defined by using a formula. For a matrix A =

How to Convert Co-factor Matrix to the Adjoint of a Matrix?

The transpose of the co-factor matrix gives the adjoint matrix. The formula for transpos

A11 A12 A13

Adj A = Transpose of Co-factor Matrix = Transpose of A21 A22 A23 =
Learn Practice Download A31 A32 A33

What Are the Applications of Co-factor Matrix?

The co-factor matrix is helpful to find the adjoint of the matrix and the inverse of the ma

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