DETERMINANTS and HIGHER

ORDER MATRICES

Week 4
SKILLS OBJECTIVES
1. Find the minors and cofactors of square matrix.
2. Use cofactor expansion to evaluate the determinant of
a square matrix.
3. Use the arrow technique to evaluate the determinant
of a 2x2 or 3x3 matrix.
4. Use the determinant of a 2x2 invertible matrix to find
the inverse of that matrix.
5. Find the determinant of an upper triangular, lower
triangular, or diagonal matrix by inspection.
6. Know the effect of elementary row operations on the
value of the determinant.
7. Use row reduction to evaluate the determinant of a
matrix.
8. Use column operations to evaluate the determinant of
a matrix.
9. Combine use of row reduction an cofactor expansion
to evaluate the determinant of a matrix.
10. Compute the matrix of cofactors for a square matrix A.
11. Compute adj (A) for a square matrix A.
12. Use the adjoint of an invertible matrix to find its inverse.
13. Use Cramers Rule to solve linear systems of equations.
14. Know the equivalent characterization of an invertible matrix.

Recall that the 2x2 matrix A= is invertible if and only if

ad-bc 0 and that the expression ad-bc is called the
determinant of the matrix A. This determinant is denoted by
writing

det (A) = ad bc or = ad bc

And that the inverse of A can be expressed in terms of the

determinant as = .
()
11 12
If we denote a 2x2 matrix as A= then the
21 22
det(A) =
This definition will be the key to our goal of extending the
definition of a determinant to higher order matrices.
MINORS AND COFACTORS
If A is a square matrix, then the minor of entry is denoted by
and is defined to be the determinant of the submatrix that
remains after the ith row and jth column are deleted from A. The
number ()+ is denoted by and is called the cofactor
of entry .
THEOREM: The determinant of a square matrix is the sum of the
signed cofactors of a row or a column of the matrix.

= 1 +

=1

+
= 1
=1
 Procedure for finding cofactor:
1. Select a row or a column from a given matrix. It is preferred
to select a row or column that contains the most number of
zero elements.
2. Find the minors of each of the selected row or column
elements.
3. Find the determinants of each of the minors.
4. Determine the sign of the cofactor using 1 + ..
5. Multiply the element, the determinant of its minor, and its
sign for all the element on the selected.
6. Add all the results of step 5 for all matrix. The
sum is the DETERMINANT.
Example
Find the determinant of the matrix by cofactor expansion along
the (a) first row and (b) first column of A.
3 1 0
A = 2 4 3
5 4 2
Soln (a) by row expansion along row 1
3 1 0
4 3 2 3
det(A) = 2 4 3 = 3 1 +
4 2 5 2
5 4 2
2 4
0
5 4
=3(-4)-1(-11)+0
= 1
(b) by column expansion along column 1.
3 1 0
4 3 1 0 1 0
Det(A) = 2 4 3 = 3 (2) +5
4 2 4 2 4 3
5 4 2
= 3(-4)-(-2)(-2)+5(3)
= 1

Remark: Wherever the expansion is taken, whether by row or

column, the determinant should be the same.
 Example.
For the following matrix compute the cofactors 12 , 24 , and
32 .
4 0 10 4
1 2 3 9
=
5 5 1 6
3 7 1 2
To compute 12 (which well need for 12 ) well need to
compute the determinant of the matrix we get by removing the
1st row and 2nd column of .

4 0 10 4
1 3 9
1 2 3 9
12 = 5 1 6 = 160
5 5 1 6
3 1 2
3 7 1 2

12 = 1 1+2 = 1 3 160 = 160

12

4 0 10 4
4 0 10
1 2 3 9
24 = 5 5 1 = 508
5 5 1 6
3 7 1
3 7 1 2

The cofactor in this case is,

24 = 1 2+4 24 = 1 6
508 = 508

4 0 10 4
4 10 4
1 2 3 9
32 = 1 3 9 = 150
5 5 1 6
3 1 2
3 7 1 2

32 = 1 3+2 = 1 5 150 = 150

32
 The following sign matrix tells us if we should leave the
minor alone (i.e. tack on a +) or change its sign (i.e. tack on a
) when writing down the cofactor.

+ +
+ +
+ +
+ +

DETERMINANT OF AN UPPER TRIANGULAR MATRIX
Theorem: If A is an nxn triangular matrix (upper triangular, lower
triangular, or diagonal), then the det(A) is the product of the
entries on the main diagonal of the matrix, that is,
det(A) = 11 22
Example:
Evaluate the determinant of the given matrix by inspection.

1 1 1 1
1 0 0
0 2 2 2
A = 0 1 0 B=
0 0 3 3
0 0 1
0 0 0 4
3 0 0 0
1 2 0 0
C= Ans. = -1; = 24; = 18
40 10 1 0
100 200 23 3
 Another useful technique for evaluating 2x2 and 3x3
determinants is the arrow method.
Example
1 2 3 1 2
A = 4 5 6 4 5
7 8 9 7 8

= {(1)(5)(9)+(2)(6)(7)+(3)(-4)(-8)}-{(7)(5)(6)+(-8)(6)(1)+(9)(-
4)(2)}
=(45+84+96)-(105-48-72) = 240

EVALUATING DETERMINANTS BY ROW REDUCTION

Theorem: Let A be a square matrix. If A has a row of zeros or a
column of zeros, then det (A) =0.
Theorem: Let A be a square matrix, then det(A) =det
Proof: Since transposing a matrix changes its columns to rows
and its rows to columns, the cofactor expansion of A along any
row is the same as the cofactor expansion of along the
corresponding column. Thus both have the same determinant.
Elementary Row Operation on a square matrix affects the value
of its determinant.
Theorem: Let A be an nxn matrix
(a) If B is the matrix that results when a single row or single
column A is multiplied by a scalar k, then the
det(B) = kdet(A).
(b) If B is the matrix that results when two rows or two columns
of A are interchanged , then det(B)= ().
(c ) If B is the matrix that results when a multiple of one row of A
is added to another row or when a multiple of one column is
aded to another column, then the det(B) = det(A).
 Relationship Operation
12 13 11 12 13
11
21 22 23 = k 21 22 23 The first row of A
31 32 33 31 32 33 is multiplied by k

Det(B) = kdet(A)

21 22 23 11 12 13 The first and

11 12 13 = 21 22 23 second rows of A
31 32 33 31 32 33 are interchanged
det(B) = det()
A multiple of the
11 + 21 12 + 22 13 +23 11 12 13 second row of A
21 22 23 = k 21 22 23 is added to the
31 32 33 31 32 33 first row.

Det(B) = kdet(A)
Theorem: If A is a square matrix with two proportional rows or
two proportional columns, then det(A) =0.
Example.
Introducing Zero Rows

1 3 2 4 1 3 2 4
2 6 4 8 0 0 0 0
= =0
3 9 1 5 3 9 1 5
1 1 4 8 1 1 4 8

The second row is twice the first, hence the determinant is zero.
Eexample: Using Row reduction to evaluate a determinant.
0 1 5
Evaluate det(A) where A= 3 6 9
2 6 1
Soln.
0 1 5 3 6 9 1 2 3
Det(A) = 3 6 9 = 0 1 5 = 3 0 1 5
2 6 1 2 6 1 2 6 1
1 2 3 1 2 3
=3 0 1 5 = 3 0 1 5
0 10 5 0 0 55
1 2 3
= (-3)(-55) 0 1 5
0 0 1
Det(A) = (-3)(-55)(1) = 165
 Example. Using Column Operations to evaluate a determinant.
Compute the determinant of

1 0 0 3
2 7 0 6
A=
0 6 3 0
7 3 1 5
Putting A in lower triangular form in one step by adding -3 times
the first column to the fourth column to obtain

1 0 0 0
2 7 0 0
A= det(A) = (1)(7)(3)(-26) = -546
0 6 3 0
7 3 1 26
Example. Row Operations and Cofactor Expansion

3 5 2 6
1 2 1 1
Evaluate det(A) where A =
2 4 1 5
3 7 5 3
Soln.
By adding suitable multiples of the second row to the remaining
rows, we obtain

0 1 1 3
1 2 1 1
Det(A) = using cofactor exp. along Column 1
0 0 3 3
0 1 8 0
1 1 3 1 1 3
3 3
= 0 3 3 = 0 3 3 = (1) = 18
9 3
1 8 0 0 9 3
 Basic Properties of Determinants

1. det(kA) = det(A)
2. Let A, B, and C be nxn matrices that differ only in a single
row, say the rth, and assume that the rth row of C can be
obtained by adding corresponding entries in the rth rows of
A and B. Then det(C) = det(A) + det(B)
3. If A and B are square matrices of the same size then
det(AB) = det(A)det(B) .
4. A square matrix A is invertible if and only if det(A) 0.

5. If A is invertible, then det( ) =
()
 Example.
1. Verify that det(kA) = det(A)
2 1 3
A= 3 2 1 ; k =-2
1 4 5
2. Verify that det(AB)= det(BA) and determine whether the
equality det(A+B) = det(A) + det (B) holds.
2 0 1 4 0 1
A= 3 0 5 B= 6 2 1
0 4 0 3 5 2
3. Find the determinant given that A is a 3x3 matrix for which
det(A) =7
(a) det(3A) (b) det 1 (c ) det(21 ) (d) det( 21 )
 Adjoint of a Matrix
If A is any nxn matrix and is the cofactor of , then the
11 12 1
21 22 2
matrix

1 2
Is called the matrix of cofactors from A. The transpose of this
matrix is called the adjoint of A and is denoted by adj(A).
Example. Find the adjoint of A.
3 2 1 12 6 16
A= 1 6 3 matrix of cofactor of A = 4 2 16
2 4 0 12 10 16
12 4 12
Adj (A) = 6 2 10
16 16 16
 Inverse of a matrix using its adjoint
Theorem: If A is an invertible matrix, then

= dj (A)
()
Example: Use the adjoint to find an inverse matrix.
3 2 1 12 4 12
A= 1 6 3 Adj (A) = 6 2 10
2 4 0 16 16 16
Soln.
12 4 12
12 4 12 64 64 64
1 1 6 2 10
1 = dj (A) = 6 2 10 = 64 64 64
det() 64
16 16 16 16 16 16
64 64 64
 Cramers Rule
This is an analytical method of solving a system of equations by
using determinants.
For a 2-variable system:
1 + 1 = 1
2 + 2 = 2
where either 1 0 or 1 0, or either 2 0 or 2 0.
1 1 1 1 1 1
Let = = =
2 2 2 2 2 2

then = =

 For a three variable system
For a 3-variable system:
1 + 1 + 1 = 1
2 + 2 + 2 = 2
3 + 3 + 3 = 3
where at least one of the coefficients is nonzero.

1 1 1 1 1 1
Let = 2 2 2 = 2 2 2
3 3 3 3 3 3
1 1 1 1 1 1
= 2 2 2 = 2 2 2
3 3 3 3 3 3

then = = =

 Example.
Use Cramers Rule to solve the linear system.
x4y+ z = 6
4xy+ 2z =1
2x+ 2y 3z =20
Check solution by satisfying all equations.

EQUIVALENT STATEMENTS
Theorem: If A is an nxn matrix, then the ffg. Statements are
equivalent.
(a) A is invertible
(b) Ax =0 has only the trivial solution.
(c ) The reduced row echelon form of A is .
(d) A can be expressed as a product of elementary matrices.
(e) Ax=b is consistent for every nx1 matrix b.
(f) Ax=b has exactly one solution for every nx1 matrix b.
(g) det(A) 0.

APPLICATION
1. Find the area of the triangle with vertices (3,3), (4,0), (-2,-1)
using the determinant method.