Determinants - Detailed Notes
1. Definition of Determinant:
The determinant is a scalar value that can be computed from a square matrix. It provides important
properties of the matrix and is used in solving systems of linear equations, finding inverse matrices,
and many applications in linear algebra. 2. Determinant of a 2×2 Matrix:
For a 2×2 matrix A = [[a, b], [c, d]],
det(A) = ad - bc 3. Determinant of a 3×3 Matrix:
For A = [[a, b, c], [d, e, f], [g, h, i]],
det(A) = a(ei - fh) - b(di - fg) + c(dh - eg) 4. Properties of Determinants:
1. det(I) = 1, where I is the identity matrix.
2. If any two rows/columns are interchanged, the determinant changes its sign.
3. If two rows/columns are identical, then determinant = 0.
4. det(AB) = det(A) × det(B)
5. det(A■) = det(A)
6. If any row or column is multiplied by k, determinant is multiplied by k.
5. Expansion by Minors and Cofactors:
- Minor of an element is the determinant obtained by deleting its row and column.
- Cofactor = (-1)^(i+j) × Minor(i,j)
- Determinant can be expanded along any row or column using cofactors. 6. Applications of
Determinants:
1. To check whether a matrix is invertible (det(A) ≠ 0).
2. To solve linear equations using Cramer’s Rule.
3. To find area of a triangle (using determinant form).
4. To calculate volume of parallelepiped.
7. Cramer’s Rule:
For a system AX = B, solution is given by:
x = det(A■)/det(A), y = det(A■)/det(A), z = det(A■)/det(A), etc.
8. Important Results:
- If a matrix has a row/column of zeros → det = 0
- If A is triangular (upper or lower), det(A) = product of diagonal elements.
- For orthogonal matrices, |A| = ±1
