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Study Notes on Matrices & Determinants for GATE

2017
Matrices and Determinates are undoubtedly one of the most scoring and high yielding
topics in GATE.
At least 3-4 questions are always anticipated from Matrices and Determinants making it
one of the easiest and high-yielding topics in GATE.
In this post, we will provide insights into the Basics of Matrices and Determinants along
with the important Shortcuts and Tricks.

Introduction to Matrices & Determinants

I.

Matrix
A Matrix is referred to as an ordered rectangular array of numbers.
Matrix A containing m rows and n columns is denoted by

In more Compact form, A is represented by

II.

Classification of Matrices
Row Matrix: A Matrix containing a single row is referred to as a Row Matrix.
For instance: [1 3, 5, 7]

Column Matrix: A Matrix containing a single column is referred to as a

Column Matrix.

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Square Matrix: A Matrix in which the Number of Rows are equal to the
Number of Columns is referred to as a Square Matrix.

Trace of a Matrix: In a square matrix, the sum of all elements lying along the
Principal Diagonal is referred to as the Trace of the Matrix.
Diagonal Matrix: A Matrix whose all elements except those in the principal
diagonal are zero is referred to as a Diagonal Matrix.

Identity Matrix: A Diagonal Matrix of order n having unity for all its elements
is referred to as an Identity Matrix

III.

Operations on Matrices
Addition & Subtraction of Matrices
The condition for addition and subtraction is that the two matrices must
have the same number of rows and columns.

Addition
Two matrices A and B can be added by adding up their corresponding
elements.
For Instance: If A and B are two matrices denoted by:

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Subtraction: Two matrices A and B can be subtracted by subtracting their

corresponding elements.

For Instance:

Matrix Multiplication
Multiplication of Two Matrices can only be performed when the number
of columns in the first matrix is equal to the number of rows in the second
matrix.

IV.

Transpose of a Matrix
The Transpose of a Matrix is obtained by interchanging its rows and columns.
Transpose of a Matrix A is denoted by AT

For Instance:

V.

Determinant of a Matrix
Determinant of a Matrix plays a significant role in computing the inverse of the
matrix and in also solving the system of linear equations.
Determinant of a 2 x 2 Matrix
Let A denote a 2 x 2 matrix whose elements are given by

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Then the Determinant of the Matrix A is denoted by

Determinant of a 3 X 3 Matrix
The determinant of a 3 x 3 Matrix is computed as follows:

VI.

Inverse of a Matrix
The Inverse of a general n x n Matrix can be computed using the following
formula:

VII.

Orthogonal Matrix
Matrix A is said to be an Orthogonal Matrix if

AAT = 1

VIII.

Rank of a Matrix
The Rank of a Matrix is referred to as the Maximum Number of Linearly
Independent Row vectors in the Matrix or the Maximum number of linearly
independent column vectors in the Matrix.

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IX.

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Eigen Values and Eigen Vectors

Let P denote an n x n Matrix.
Then, the number is referred to as the Eigenvalue of P if there exists a non-zero
vector V such that the following condition holds:

PV = V
In this case, Vector V is referred to as the Eigenvector of P cooresponding
to .

Computing Eigen Values and Eigen Vectors

We can rewrite the PV = V as

(P I)V= 0
Where I is the n x n Identity Matrix
In order that Non-zero Vector V satisfies this equation, P I must not be
Invertible.
This implies that Determinant of P I must be equal to 0.
We call s() = det (P I) is the characteristic polynomial of P.
Then, Eigenvalues of P are the roots of the characteristic polynomial of P.

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Solving System of Linear Equations using Matrices

A system of linear equations is referred to as a set of equations containing n
equations and n unknowns.
A System of Linear Equations is represented as:

Where
x1, x2, ..., xn denote the unknowns and the coefficients are assumed to be
given.
System of Linear Equations is Matrix Form is represented as:

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XI.

Method to Solve System of Linear Equations

Cramers Rule
Consider a system of linear equations denoted by

Let

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