Section 8.

4 • The Determinant of a Square Matrix 151

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Section 8.4 The Determinant of a Square Matrix

Objective: In this lesson you learned how to find minors, cofactors, and
determinants of square matrices.

Important Vocabulary Define each term or concept.

Determinant If A is a square matrix (of order 2 × 2 or greater), the determinant of A

is the sum of the entries in any row (or column) of A multiplied by their respective
cofactors. The determinant is a real number.
Minors If A is a square matrix, the minor Mij of the entry aij is the determinant of the
matrix obtained by deleting the ith row and jth column of A.

Cofactors The cofactor Cij of the entry aij is Cij = (– 1)i + jMij.

I. The Determinant of a 2 × 2 Matrix (Pages 611−612) What you should learn

How to find the
⎡a b1 ⎤ determinants of 2 × 2
The determinant of the 2 × 2 matrix A = ⎢ 1 is given by
⎣a 2 b2 ⎥⎦ matrices
a1 b1
det(A) = |A| = = a1b2 − a2 b1
a2 b2

The determinant of a matrix of order 1 × 1 is defined as . . .

simply the entry of the matrix.

⎡− 4 3⎤
Example 1: Find the determinant of the matrix A = ⎢ ⎥⎦ .
⎣ 1 − 2
5

II. Minors and Cofactors (Page 613)

What you should learn
How to find minors and
Complete the sign patterns for cofactors of a 3 × 3 matrix,
cofactors of square
a 4 × 4 matrix, and a 5 × 5 matrix: matrices
Sign Pattern for Cofactors
3 × 3 matrix 4 × 4 matrix 5 × 5 matrix
⎡+ − + − + ⎤
⎡+ − + − ⎤ ⎢− + − + − ⎥
⎡+ − +⎤ ⎢− + − + ⎥
⎢ ⎥ ⎢ ⎥
⎢ ⎥ ⎢+ − + − +
⎢− + −⎥ ⎢ + − + − ⎥
⎥
⎣+ − +⎦ ⎢− + − + − ⎥
⎣− + − + ⎦ ⎢⎣ + − + − + ⎥⎦

Larson/Hostetler Precalculus/Precalculus with Limits Notetaking Guide IAE

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
152 Chapter 8 • Matrices and Determinants

⎡ 1 0 3⎤
Example 2: Use the matrix A = ⎢2 1 0⎥ to find:
⎢ 0 2 3⎥
⎣ ⎦
(a) the minor M13, and (b) the cofactor C21.

(a) 4 (b) 6

III. The Determinant of a Square Matrix (Pages 614−615) What you should learn
How to find the
Applying the definition of the determinant of a square matrix to determinants of square
find a determinant is called expanding by cofactors . matrices

Example 3: Find the determinant of the matrix:

⎡− 1 0 4⎤
A = ⎢ 3 − 2 0⎥
⎢ 1 − 1 1⎥
⎣ ⎦

−2

Example 4: Describe a strategy for finding the determinant of

the following matrix, and then find the
determinant of the matrix.
⎡− 2 4 0 5⎤
⎢ 0 2 − 1 0⎥
B=⎢
3 1 − 4 − 1⎥
⎢ ⎥
⎣− 5 0 − 2 3⎦

Expand by cofactors in the second row since this

is the row/column with the most zeros, which will
decrease the number of computations.

− 201

Homework Assignment

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Larson/Hostetler Precalculus/Precalculus with Limits Notetaking Guide IAE

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