In Exercises 1 - 24, use Gaussian Elimination to find the complete solution to each system of equations, or show that none exists.
Ch. 6 - Matrices and Determinants

Chapter 7, Problem 23
In Exercises 23–30, use expansion by minors to evaluate each determinant.
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Identify the matrix for which you need to find the determinant:
\[\begin{bmatrix} 3 & 0 & 0 \\ 2 & 1 & -5 \\ 2 & 5 & -1 \end{bmatrix}\]
Choose a row or column to expand by minors. Since the first row has two zeros, expanding along the first row is efficient.
Write the determinant expansion along the first row:
\[\text{det} = 3 \cdot C_{11} + 0 \cdot C_{12} + 0 \cdot C_{13}\]
where \(C_{ij}\) is the cofactor of the element in row \(i\), column \(j\).
Calculate the cofactor \(C_{11}\) by finding the determinant of the 2x2 submatrix obtained by removing the first row and first column:
\[\begin{bmatrix} 1 & -5 \\ 5 & -1 \end{bmatrix}\]
The determinant of this submatrix is calculated as \((1)(-1) - (-5)(5)\).
Multiply the element \(3\) by the cofactor \(C_{11}\) to get the determinant of the original 3x3 matrix.

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Key Concepts
Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Determinant of a Matrix
The determinant is a scalar value that can be computed from the elements of a square matrix. It provides important properties of the matrix, such as invertibility, and is used in solving systems of linear equations. For a 3x3 matrix, the determinant can be found using expansion by minors or other methods.
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Expansion by Minors
Expansion by minors is a method to calculate the determinant of a matrix by breaking it down into smaller determinants of submatrices. This involves selecting a row or column, multiplying each element by the determinant of its minor matrix, and applying alternating signs. It simplifies the calculation of larger determinants.
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Minor and Cofactor
A minor is the determinant of the smaller matrix formed by deleting one row and one column from the original matrix. The cofactor is the minor multiplied by (-1)^(row+column), which accounts for sign changes in expansion by minors. Understanding minors and cofactors is essential for correctly applying expansion by minors.
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