Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Summary
Uses.................................................................................................................................................1
1 ReminderDefinitionandcomponentsofamatrix................................................................1
2 Thematrixdeterminant..........................................................................................................2
3 Calculationofthedeterminantfora
matrix.................................................................2
4 Exercise....................................................................................................................................3
5 Definitionofaminor...............................................................................................................3
6 Definitionofacofactor............................................................................................................4
7 Cofactorexpansionamethodtocalculatethedeterminant...............................................4
8 Calculatethedeterminantfora
matrix........................................................................5
9 Alternativemethodtocalculatedeterminants.......................................................................6
10 Exercise....................................................................................................................................7
11 Determinantsofsquarematricesofdimensions4x4andgreater.........................................8
Uses
Thedeterminantwillbeanessentialtooltoidentifythemaximumandminimumpoints
orthesaddlepointsofafunctionwithmultiplevariables.
betweentwomatricescontainingthesameamountofentries.Forexample,amatrixof
dimension 3 4 has 3 rows and 4 columns. It would be distinct from a matrix 4 3,
that has 4 rows and 3 columns, even if it also has 12 entries. A matrix is said to be
squarewhenithasthesamenumberofrowsandcolumns.
Theelementsarematrixentries ,thatareidentifiedbytheirposition. Theelement
would be the entry located on the third row and the second column of matrix .
Thisnotationisessentialinordertodistinguishtheelementsofthematrix.Theelement
,distinctfrom ,issituatedonthesecondrowandthethirdcolumnofthematrix
.
matrix
2 :
Thedeterminantofthematrix isdefinedbytherelation
det
Page2of9
Example
Giventhematrix
2
3
1
2
ThedeterminantofAis
2
3
det
1
2
4 Exercise
2matrices:
Calculatethedeterminantofthefollowing2
.
.
Solutions:
a)17
b)0
1
5
3
2
.
2
4
4
3
1
4
.
2
1
c)5
1
2
3
2
d)11
Beforebeingabletoevaluatethedeterminantofa3 3matrix(orallothermatricesof
agreaterdimension),youwillfirstneedtolearnafewconcepts
5 Definition of a minor
2
5
8
1
2
7
4
3
3
3
3
5.3
3.8
15
24
Theminor
isthedeterminantofthematrixobtainedbyeliminatingthesecondrow
andthesecondcolumnof ,i.e.
2 4
8 3
2.3
4.8
32
26
Page3of9
6 Definition of a cofactor
Thecofactor,
,ofamatrix isdefinedbytherelation
1
Youwillnoticethatthecofactorandtheminoralwayshavethesamenumericalvalue,
withthepossibleexceptionoftheirsign.
Letusagainconsiderthematrix
2
5
8
1
2
7
4
3
3
9. Thus the corresponding cofactor,
andthecofactor
1.
areofdifferentsigns.
26.Itscorrespondingcofactor
C
1.
is
26
26
.Thedeterminantisobtainedbycofactor
Choosearoworacolumnof (ifpossible,itisfastertochoosetheroworcolumn
containingthemostzeros)
Multiply each of the elements
of the row (or column) chosen by its
correspondingcofactor,
Addtheseresults.
Page4of9
matrix
Fora 3 3matrix,thiswouldmeanthatbychoosingtomakeanexpansionalongthe
firstrow,thedeterminantwouldbe
Ifwehadchosentocarryoutanexpansionalongthesecondcolumn,wewouldhaveto
calculate
Whilethechoiceofroworcolumnmaydiffer,theresultofthedeterminantwillbethe
same,nomatterwhatthechoicewehavemade.Letusverifythiswithanexample.
Example
Whatisthedeterminantofmatrix ?
2 1
1 0
2 0
3
2
2
Solution
Letusfollowtheprocedureproposedabove(cofactorexpansion):
Choosearoworacolumnof Fornow,letuschoosethefirstrow.
Multiply each of the elements of this row by their corresponding cofactors The
2,
1, et
3thatwemultiplywiththe
elementsofthefirstroware
correspondingcofactors,i.e.C , C et C .Theseare
1
1
C
1
1
0
0
2
2
1 0.
1
2
2
2
1 1
1
2
0
0
2.0
2
1 1
2
2
0
2
6
0
Finally,weneedtocalculate
6
Page5of9
Letusverifyifanexpansionalongthesecondcolumncoincideswiththepreviousresult.
Note that the choice of the second column is much more effective since the
determinantwillbeobtainedfromthecalculation
1,
Two of the three elements of the second column are zero. In effect,
0,
0. It is thus useless to calculate the cofactors
and
. The
correspondingcofactorfor is
C
1
2
2
2
1 1
Thedeterminantof isthus
det A
a C
a C
a C
6,
whichcorrespondstotheanswerobtainedbyanexpansionalongthefirstrow.
Allocateasign / toeachelementbyfollowingtherule:weassociateapositive
sign to the position
, then we alternate the signs by moving horizontally or
vertically.
Choosearoworcolumnof (ifpossible,itisfastertochoosetheroworcolumnof
containingthemostnumberofzeros)
Multiply each element of of the row (or column) chosen by its corresponding
minor, i.e. the remaining determinant when we eliminate the row and column in
which is.
Addorsubtracttheseresultsaccordingtothesignallocatedtotheelementsduring
thefirststep.
Letusverifythatthismethodwillproducethesameresultasinthepreviousexample:
Page6of9
Example
Giventhematrix towhichweallocateasign / accordingtotherulestatedabove.
2
1
2
3
2
2
Letuschoosethethirdcolumn(itiscertainlynotthebestchoicesincethesecond
rowhasthemostzeros,but)
Wethenmultiplyeachelementbyitscorrespondingminor:
3
2
2
2
2
1
0
0
1
2
0
0
1
2
2
1
1
0
4
1
Finally, the respective signs of the elements of the third column tell us the
operationstocarryoutbetweenthesevaluestoobtainthedeterminant:
det
10 Exercise
Calculatethedeterminantofthefollowingmatrices:
1 3 2
4 1 3
2 2 0
3
2
1
Solutions:
a)24
2 4
4 5
8 2
b)12
c)66
1 0 2
1 3 4
0 6 0
8
3
11
1 9
1
8
0 17
d)0
Page7of9
,thedeterminantisobtainedbyfollowinga
Chosearoworcolumnof (ifpossible,itisfastertochoosetheroworcolumnthat
containsthemostzeros)
Multiply each of the elements of the row (or column) chosen, by the
correspondingcofactor
Addtheresults.
Wemusthowevermentionadistinction.Thecofactorassociatedtotheelement ofa
4 4matrixisthedeterminantofa3 3matrix,sinceitisobtainedbyeliminatingthe
ithrowandthejthcolumnof .
Example
CalculatethedeterminantofmatrixA
1
0
1
3
2
3
0
1
1
1
3
2
0
1
1
0
Itisessential,toreducetheamountofcalculations,tochoosetheroworcolumnthat
contains the most zeros (here, the fourth column). We will proceed to a cofactor
expansionalongthefourthcolumn,whichmeansthat
As and arezero,itisuselesstofind
benecessary
1
and
.Thecofactors
1
1 1
3
2 1
0 3
1 2
and
will
Page8of9
1
1 0
3
1
Weletthereaderverifythat
is
18et
2
3
1
1
1
2
2.Consequently,thedeterminantof
18
16
Exercise
ShowthatthedeterminantofAinthepreviousexampleis16byacofactorexpansion
along
a) Thefirstrow
b) Thethirdcolumn
Page9of9