Determinant In algebra, the determinant is a special number associated to any square matrix, that is to say, a rectangular array of numbers

where the (finite) number of rows and columns are equal. The fundamental geometric meaning of a determinant is a scale factor for measure when the matrix is regarded as a linear transformation. Thus a 2 2 matrix with determinant 2 when applied to a set of points with finite area will transform those points into a set with twice the area. Determinants are important both in calculus, where they enter the substitution rule for se!eral !ariables, and in multilinear algebra. " matrix is in!ertible if and only if its determinant is non#$ero. The determinant of a matrix A, is denoted det(A) or %A%. It is also common to denote the determinant with elongated !ertical bars&

The determinant of a matrix is 'or a fixed nonnegati!e integer n, there is a unique determinant function for the n n matrices o!er any commutati!e ring R. In particular, this unique function exists when R is the field of real or complex numbers. The area of the parallelogram is the absolute !alue of the determinant of the matrix formed by the !ectors representing the parallelogram(s sides. The 2 2 matrix

has determinant det A ) ad * bc. The determinant det A can be !iewed as the oriented area of the parallelogram with !ertices at (+,+), (a,b), (a , c, b , d), and (c,d). The oriented area is the same as the usual area, except that it is negati!e when the !ertices are listed in cloc-wise order. 'urther, the parallelogram itself can be !iewed as the unit square transformed by the matrix A. The assumption here is that a linear transformation is applied to row !ectors as the !ector#matrix product xTAT, where x is a column !ector. The parallelogram in the figure is obtained by multiplying matrix " (which stores the co#ordinates of our parallelogram) with each of the row !ectors and in turn. These row !ectors define the !ertices of the unit square. .ith the more common matrix#!ector product Ax, the parallelogram has !ertices at and T T T (note that Ax ) (x A ) ). Thus when the determinant is equal to one, then the matrix represents an equi#areal mapping.

The determinant of a matrix of arbitrary si$e can be defined by the /eibni$ formula (as explained in the next paragraph) or the /aplace formula (as explained at the end of the Properties section). The /eibni$ formula for the determinant of an n#by#n matrix A is

0ere the sum is computed o!er all permutations 1 of the numbers 23, 2, ..., n4. " permutation is a function that reorders this set of integers. 'or example, for n ) 5, the original sequence 3, 2, 5 might be reordered to 2, 5, 3 or 5, 2, 3. It is a basic fact of combinatorics that there are n6 ) 3 7 2 7 5 7 ... 7 n (n factorial) such permutations. The set of all such permutations is denoted Sn. To any such permutation 1 one attaches the signature 1, it is ,3 for e!en and *3 for odd permutations. 8!enness or oddness can be defined as follows& the permutation is e!en (odd) if the new sequence can be obtained by an e!en number (odd, respecti!ely) of switches of ad9acent numbers. 'or example, starting from 3, 2, 5 and switching once one gets 3, 5, 2, switching once more yields 5, 3, 2, and finally, after a total of three (an odd number) switches, one gets 5, 2, 3. Therefore this permutation is odd. The permutation 2, 5, 3 is e!en (3, 2, 5 : 2, 3, 5 : 2, 5, 3, two switches). In any of the n factorial summands, the term

is a shorthand for the product o!er the indicated matrix entries, where i ranges from 3 to n, or equi!alently& 'or example, for n ) ; and 1 ) (3, ;, 5, 2), sgn ) #3 (one pair switch), and the matrix entries are A33< A2;< A55< A;2. 'or small matrices, one gets bac- the formulae gi!en in the pre!ious sections. The formal extension to arbitrary dimensions was made by Tullio /e!i#=i!ita, see (/e!i# =i!ita symbol) using a pseudo#tensor symbol. "n alternati!e, but equi!alent definition of the determinant can be obtained by using the following theorem& /et Mn(K) denote the set of all matrices o!er the field K. There exists exactly one function with the two properties& F is alternating multilinear with regard to columns< F(I) ) 3. >ne can then define the determinant as the unique function with the abo!e properties.