Links For The Determinant of a Square Matrix
What is a Matrix?
A Matrix is a rectangular array of numbers organized by rows X columns.
This matrix, for example, is a 2X3.
So, what is a Square Matrix?
A Square Matrix is the same number of rows and columns.
So this Matrix is a Square Matrix because it's a 3X3. The Matrix has the same number of rows as it does columns!!!!
So, what is a Determinant?
A Determinant is a number associated with a Square Matrix. Determinants are used to find inverses of matrices, to find areas of triangles, and to determine if a set of points are collinear.
To find the Determinant of a 2X2:
The straight lines around the matrix indictate the need for a Determinant.
So, ad-bc equals the Determinant of Matrix A.
Example:
To find the determinant of a 3 x 3: