4.2. Determinant of a 3 x 3 matrix

The determinant of a 3 × 3 matrix

  • A determinant is a scalar value that is computed from elements of a square matrix.
  • Determinant of a 3 × 3 matrix is also known as a third-order determinant.
  • Determinants are used to solve linear equation sets, and to find eigenvalues and eigenvectors.
  • The determinant of a matrix is denoted as det A, det(A) or |A|.

LaTeX in HTML
\[\Large A = \begin{bmatrix} a & b & c \\ d & e & f \\ g & h & i \end{bmatrix} \]
\[\large \textbf{determinant = det(A) = |A|} \]

  • The cofactor expansion method is used to compute the determinant of a 3 × 3 matrix.
  • To calculate the determinant of a 3 × 3 matrix, you need to be aware of following things,
    • Minors
    • Cofactors

Before continuing to this lesson we recommend having completed the Determinant of a 2 × 2 matrix lesson.


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