Q36: and a system with matrix , or and a system
(a) If , find . Hence
Solve the system of equations;
OR
(b) Evaluate the product AB, where
Hence solve the system of linear equations
(a)
Why?
Expand along the first row:
For , delete row 1 and column 1: what is left gives . For , the minor is , with a minus sign in front. The third term is 0, because .
With the signs , , :
Each determinant is (top left)(bottom right) minus (top right)(bottom left):
Multiply by the entries and their signs, then add:
A is non-singular, therefore exists.
Why?
A square matrix has an inverse exactly when its determinant is not zero. So always state before finding .
The cofactors of A are
Why?
The cofactor of the entry in row , column is
where the minor is the determinant left after deleting row and column . The sign is when is even and when it is odd, which is why , , and have a minus in front.
For example, : deleting row 3 and column 3 leaves .
All nine, with the sign pattern
Row 1 (cover row 1 and one column each time):
Row 2 (cover row 2):
Row 3 (cover row 3):
Why?
The adjoint is the transpose of the matrix of cofactors. So go down the first column, and so on.
Watch out: writing the cofactors in rows, without transposing, gives the wrong matrix.
Why?
Since , dividing by changes nothing, so . Multiplying out gives , which checks the work.
For example, row 1 of times each column of :
That is row 1 of . The other rows work the same way.
The given equations can be written as
Why?
Each row holds the coefficients of , , in one equation; a missing variable has coefficient 0. Compare with A: the rows of this matrix are the columns of A, so it is the transpose . That is why the question says "hence".
which is of the form , where is the transpose of A and .
Why?
Multiply both sides of on the left by . Then use the property
so we only need to transpose the already found: its rows become columns.
Why?
Each entry is a row of the matrix times the column . For the first row:
The other two rows:
In the first row, , then .
Check in the equations: , and .
, ,
(b)
Why?
The entry in row , column of is row of A times column of B. For example, row 1 times column 1:
and row 1 times column 2 is . The 6s on the diagonal and 0s elsewhere make .
All nine entries, products first:
Why?
Divide both sides of by 6. If for a square matrix , then is the inverse of A. Here .
The given equations can be written as
i.e. , where . So .
Why?
This time the coefficient matrix is A itself, so no transpose is needed. Multiplying on the left by gives , and from above.
Why?
Row by row, times the column :
Then divide each by 6. Check: , and .
, ,
Chapter 4, Determinants: Inverse of a matrix; solving a system of equations.
Question type: (a) Solve equations by the matrix method; (b) Multiply two matrices + Solve equations by the matrix method (combined)
How to spot it: click to see
(a) Ch 4, type 9. Solve equations by the matrix method
Spot it: "solve, using the matrix method", with two or three equations. A word problem (prices, three numbers) is the same: write the equations first.
Here: Find : , so . The coefficient matrix of the equations is , not , so with .
(b) Ch 3, type 5. Multiply two matrices: row times column
Spot it: two matrices written side by side, or , or .
Here: First, multiply and row by column: , so .
(b) Ch 4, type 9. Solve equations by the matrix method
Spot it: "solve, using the matrix method", with two or three equations. A word problem (prices, three numbers) is the same: write the equations first.
Here: The coefficient matrix of the equations is itself, so with , giving , , .
Quick lesson · Worked NCERT solutions · Interactive lesson
Also uses Chapter 3, Matrices.
Tell us if something on this page is wrong or unclear. Send feedback on this question →
Determinants in past papers: question 34 of 34 · see them all