Lec # 17

EXAMPLE 01: Compute the determinant of A without expending

 5 3 2 3 
 4  6 7  5
(i) A 
3 5 6 9
 
 2  3 5 4 
Solution: “1” does not appear as an entry of the matrix A, therefore first we reduce A to a
matrix which has 1 as an entry. We must obtain 1 as an entry of the matrix A by adding a
multiple of a row (column) to another row (column). Therefore,
1 9 9 2
4 6 7 5
A R1  R2
3 5 6 9
2 3 5 4
Now we reduce the elements -4, 3 and 2 in the 1st column to zero.
1 9 9 2
0  42 43  13
A  R 2  4 R1 , R 3   3R1 , R 4   2 R1
0 32  21 15
0 15  13 8

 42 43  13
 32  21 15 expanding by C1
15  13 8
1 43  13
 11  21 15 C1  C 2 (This means add C1 in C2)
2  13 8
1 43  13
 0  494 158 R 2   11R1 , R3   2 R1
0  99 34

 494 158
 expanding by C1
 99 34
A   494 34   158 99   16796  15642  1154 

1 2 3 4
2 3 4 1
(ii) A  
3 4 1 2
4 1 2 3
Solution:
1 2 3 4
0 1 2 7
A  R   2 R1 , R 3   3R1 , R 4   4 R1
0 2 8  10 2
0  7  10  13
Expanding by C1 and taking  1,  2 and  1 common from R2 , R3 and R4 respectively.

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 1 2 7
A   1 2  1 1 4 5
7 10 13
1 2 7
A  2 0 2 2 R 2   1R1 , R 3   7 R1
0  4  36
Expanding by C1 and taking 2 and  4 common from R2 and R3 respectively.
1 1
A   2 2  4   169  1  160 
1 9

EXAMPLE 02: Prove that

ab bc ca
bc ca ab 0
ca ab bc
Solution:
Adding second row into first row, we have
abb-c bcc-a caa-b a-c b-a c-b
|A|  bc ca ab  b-c c-a a-b
ca ab bc c-a a-b b-c
Adding third row into first row, we have
a-cc-a b-aa-b c-bb-c 0 0 0
|A|  b-c c-a a-b  b-c c-a a-b  0 sin ce R1  0 
c-a a-b b-c c-a a-b b-c

EXAMPLE 03: Prove that

1 cosα cosβ
|A|= cosα 1 cos α  β   0 
cosβ cos α  β  1
Solution: Using the trigonometric formula, we have
1 cosα cosβ
| A | cosα 1 cos cos - sin sin
cosβ cos cos - sin sin 1

we have
1 cosα - cosα cosβ
 cosα 1 - cos α2
cos cos - sin sin (By C2  cos α C1 )
cosβ cos cos - sin sin  cos cos 1
1 0 cos β
2
 cos α sin  cos  cos - sin  sin
cos β - sin  sin 1

1 0 cosβ - cosβ
 cosα 2
sin  coscos - sinsin  coscos (By C3 - cos β C1 )
2
cosβ - sinsin 1 - cos 

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 1 0 0
 cosα sin 2 - sinsin
cosβ - sinsin sin 2 
Taking sin and -sin common from second and third column respectively, we have
1 0 0
 sin  sin  cosα sin sin  sin  sin 0   0 since  C2  C3 
cosβ - sin - sin

EXAMPLE 04: Prove that

1
1 0
2!
1 1
|A| = 1 0
3! 2!
1 1 1
4! 3! 2!
Solution: Replacing factorials by their values, we have
1
1 0
2
1 1
|A|  1
6 2
1 1 1
24 6 2
Multiplying first, second and third row by 2, 6 and 24 respectively and adjusting by the
1
factor , we have
2  6  24
1 2 0 1 2 0
1 1
|A|  1 3 6  0 1 6 by R2  R1 , R3  R1
2  6  24 2  6  24
1 4 12 0 2 12
Taking 2 common from third row, we have

1 2 0
2 1
 0 1 6  0  0 sin ce R 2  R3 
2  6  24 6  24
0 1 6

EXAMPLE 05: Prove that

x a a a
a x a a
|A| =   x  a 3  x  3a  
a a x a
a a a x
Solution: By adding second, third and fourth rows into the first row, we have
x  3a x  3a x  3a x  3a
a x a a
|A| 
a a x a
a a a x
Taking x  3a  common from first row, we have

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 1 1 1 1
a x a a
|A|  x  3a 
a a x a
a a a x
1 0 0 0
a x-a 0 0
 x  3a  by C 2  C1 , C 3  C1 , C 4  C1
a 0 x-a 0
a 0 0 x-a
Expanding by first row, we get
xa 0 0
 x  3a  0 xa 0
0 0 xa
Since the determinant is triangular, therefore its value will be equal to the product of its
diagonal elements. It implies that
x  3a x  a x  a x  a   x  a 3 x  3a   L.H.S.

EXAMPLE 06: Prove that

1 x 1 1 1
1 1 x 1 1
 x2 y2 
1 1 1 y 1
1 1 1 1 y
Solution: Taking left hand side, we have
1 x 1 1 1
1 1 x 1 1
|A|=
1 1 1 y 1
1 1 1 1 y
0 0 0 1
x x 0 1
 by C1  1  x C 4 , C 2  C 4 , C 3  C 4
x 0 y 1
1  1  x 1  y  y y 1 y
Expanding by first row, we get

x x 0 0 x 0
 x 0 y  x 0 y by C1  C 2
 x  y  xy y y  x  xy y y
Taking  x  common from first row, we get

0 1 0
  x  x 0 y .
 x1  y  y y
Taking  x  common from first column, we get
0 1 0
 x x  1 0 y
1 y y y
Interchanging first and second column, we get

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 1 0 0
  x 2   0 1 y
y 1 y y
Taking y common from third column, we get
1 0 0
2
 x y0 1 1
y 1 y 1
Expanding by first row, we have
1 1
 x2 y  x 2 y 1  1  y   x 2 y 1  1  y   x 2 y 2  L.H.S.
1 y 1

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