How do you find the determinant of |(-6,5),(0,-8)|?

1 Answer
Dec 13, 2016

abs((-6,5),(0,-8)) = 48

Explanation:

The determinant of a 2xx2 square matrix is given by the formula:

abs((a,b),(c,d)) = ad-bc

So in our example:

abs((-6,5),(0,-8)) = (-6)(-8)-(5)(0) = 48-0 = 48

More generally, if M is any upper or lower triangular matrix, then its determinant is the product of the main diagonal.

So we could have just written:

abs((-6,5),(0,-8)) = (-6)(-8) = 48