Department of Mathematics and Statistics, IIT Kanpur

Linear Algebra(MTH113)–Assignment 2

Problem solving session

1. Let A be an invertible square matrix with integer entries. Show that A−1 has integer entries if and only if
|A| = ±1.
2. Let A = (aij ) be an invertible n × n matrix such that A−1 = (dij ) and let B = pi−j aij , where p is any prime.

Prove that
(a) |B| = |A|
(b) B −1 = (pi−j dij )
 
x1
 x2 
3. Let A be an n × n matrix. Show that |A| = 0 iff there exist x1 , . . . , xn , not all zero, such that A  .  = 0.
 
 .. 
xn
4. Prove that the determinant of

x21 xn−1
 
1 x1 ··· 1

 1 x2 x22 ··· xn−1
2



 · · · ··· · 

 · · · ··· · 
1 xn x2n ··· xn−1
n
Q
is 1≤i<j≤n (xj − xi ).
5. Solve the following system of linear equations by using the Cramer’s rule:

x1 + x2 + x3 = 2
x1 + 2x2 + x3 = 2
x1 + 3x2 − x3 = −4.

6. Find a constant k so that the system of linear equations

kx − 2y − z = 0
(k + 1)y + 4z = 0
(k − 1)z = 0

has more than one solution. (Is it possible to apply Cramer’s rule?)
Practice problems:
7. Find two 2 × 2 invertible matrices A and B such that A ̸= cB, for any scalar c and A + B is not invertible.
8. (a) For any elementary matrix E, prove that E T is also an elementary matrix and |E| = |E T |.

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 (b) Use (a) to prove that an n × n matrix A is invertible if and only if AT is invertible.
9. Prove that |A| = AT for any square matrix A.
10. Find, by definition, the determinant of A = [aij ] in each of the following cases:
(a) A is a diagonal matrix.
(b) A is a lower triangular matrix (i.e. aij = 0 for all j > i ).
(c) A is an upper triangular matrix (i.e. aij = 0 for all j < i )

11. For a complex matrix A = [aij ], let Ā = [aij ] and A∗ = ĀT . Show that |Ā| = |A∗ | = |A|. Therefore if A is
Hermitian (that is A∗ = A ) then its determinant is real.
12. A real matrix A is said to be orthogonal if AAT = I. Show that if A is orthogonal then |A| = ±1.
13. Use Cramer’s rule to solve the given system:
   
1 2 1
(a) X=
4 3 2
   
1 2 −1 −1
(b) 2 3 4  X =  2 
0 1 5 0
14. Prove that if A is an n × n skew-symmetric matrix and n is odd, then det(A) = 0. Give an example of 4 × 4
skew-symmetric matrix A with det(A) ̸= 0.
15. The numbers 1375, 1287, 4191 and 5731 are all divisible by 11. Prove that the determinant of the matrix
 
1 1 4 5
 3 2 1 7 
 
 7 8 9 3 
5 7 1 1

is also divisible by 11.

16. Find the determinant of
 
1 2 3 4 ... n

 2 2 3 4 ... n 


 3 3 3 4 ... n .

 .. .. .. .. . . . n 
n n n n ... n

17. Determine whether or not the following statements are true in general, and justify your answers.
(a) For any square matrices A and B of the same size, det(A + B) = det(A) + det(B).
(b) For any square matrices A, B of the same size, det(AB) = det(BA).
(c) If A is any n × n square matrix, then for any scalar c, det(cIn − A) = cn − det(A).
(d) If A is any n × n square matrix, then for any scalar c, det(cIn − AT ) = det(cIn − A).
(e) If E is any elementary matrix then det(E) = ±1.
(f) There is no matrix A of order 3 such that A2 = −I3 .
(g) Let A be a nilpotent matrix, i.e. Ak = 0 for some natural number k. Then det(A) = 0.
(h) det(kA) = k det(A) for any square matrix A.
(i) Any system Ax = b has a solution if and only if det(A) ̸= 0.
(j) If A is a square matrix with det(A) = 1, with adj(adjA) = A.

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(k) If the entries of A are 0’s and 1’s, then det(A) = 1, 0, or − 1.
(l) Every system of n linear equations in n unknowns can be solved by Cramer’s rule.
(m) For any invertible square matrix A, det(A−1 ) = 1
det(A) .

(n) For any n × n matrices A and B such that A is invertible, det(ABA−1 ) = det(B).
   
u1 v1
 u2   v2 
(o) For any column vectors u =  .  and v =  . , det(uv T ) = 0.
   
 ..   .. 
un vn

Hints for a few practice problems

(9) Consider separately the case of invertible and non-invertible A.

(14) Use |A| = |AT |.

(15) Note the given numbers coincide with entries of respective columns. Use this and elementary matrices
to proceed.

(16) Use R2 7→ R2 − R1 and induction

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