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If \( A \operatorname{adj} A = \begin{bmatrix} -5 & 0 & 0 \\ 0 & -5 & 0 \\ 0 & 0 & -5 \end{bmatrix} \), then the value of \( |A| \) is:

The correct answer is

-5

Understanding the Matrix Problem: Finding the Determinant \(|A|\)

The problem asks us to find the value of the determinant of a matrix \( A \), denoted by \( |A| \), given the equation involving the matrix \( A \) and its adjoint \( \operatorname{adj} A \).

The given equation is:

\( A \operatorname{adj} A = \begin{bmatrix} -5 & 0 & 0 \\ 0 & -5 & 0 \\ 0 & 0 & -5 \end{bmatrix} \)

Key Property of Adjoint Matrix and Determinant

A fundamental property of square matrices relates the matrix, its adjoint, and its determinant. For any square matrix \( A \) of order \( n \), the following relationship holds:

\( A (\operatorname{adj} A) = (\operatorname{adj} A) A = |A| I_n \)

where \( |A| \) is the determinant of \( A \) and \( I_n \) is the identity matrix of order \( n \).

Analyzing the Given Matrix Equation

First, let's look at the matrix on the right-hand side of the given equation:

\( \begin{bmatrix} -5 & 0 & 0 \\ 0 & -5 & 0 \\ 0 & 0 & -5 \end{bmatrix} \)

This is a diagonal matrix. We can factor out the scalar \( -5 \) from this matrix:

\( \begin{bmatrix} -5 & 0 & 0 \\ 0 & -5 & 0 \\ 0 & 0 & -5 \end{bmatrix} = -5 \begin{bmatrix} 1 & 0 & 0 \\ 0 & 1 & 0 \\ 0 & 0 & 1 \end{bmatrix} \)

The matrix \( \begin{bmatrix} 1 & 0 & 0 \\ 0 & 1 & 0 \\ 0 & 0 & 1 \end{bmatrix} \) is the identity matrix of order 3, denoted by \( I_3 \). This tells us that the original matrix \( A \) must be a 3x3 matrix, as the identity matrix \( I \) in the property \( A (\operatorname{adj} A) = |A| I \) must be of the same order as \( A \).

So, the given equation becomes:

\( A \operatorname{adj} A = -5 I_3 \)

Solving for the Determinant \(|A|\)

Now we can compare this equation with the fundamental property:

\( A (\operatorname{adj} A) = |A| I_n \)

Substituting \( n=3 \), we have:

\( A (\operatorname{adj} A) = |A| I_3 \)

By comparing \( A \operatorname{adj} A = -5 I_3 \) and \( A \operatorname{adj} A = |A| I_3 \), we can directly equate the scalar coefficients multiplying the identity matrix \( I_3 \).

Therefore, we get:

\( |A| I_3 = -5 I_3 \)

Since \( I_3 \) is a non-zero matrix, we can conclude that the scalar coefficients must be equal.

\( |A| = -5 \)

Conclusion on the Determinant Value

Based on the property \( A \operatorname{adj} A = |A| I \) and the given equation, the determinant of matrix \( A \) is found to be \( -5 \).


Revision Table: Key Matrix Concepts

Concept Description Property/Formula
Determinant of a Matrix \(|A|\) A scalar value that can be computed for a square matrix. It provides information about the matrix, such as whether it is invertible. For 2x2 matrix \( \begin{bmatrix} a & b \\ c & d \end{bmatrix} \), \( |A| = ad - bc \). For higher orders, involves cofactor expansion.
Adjoint of a Matrix \( \operatorname{adj} A \) The transpose of the cofactor matrix of \( A \). Defined for square matrices. Used in finding the inverse of a matrix.
Identity Matrix \( I \) A square matrix with ones on the main diagonal and zeros elsewhere. It behaves like the number 1 in matrix multiplication. \( A I = I A = A \) for any matrix \( A \) compatible for multiplication.
Relation between \( A \), \( \operatorname{adj} A \), and \( |A| \) The product of a matrix and its adjoint (in either order) is equal to the determinant of the matrix multiplied by the identity matrix. \( A (\operatorname{adj} A) = (\operatorname{adj} A) A = |A| I \)

Additional Information: Adjoint Matrix Properties and Inverse

The adjoint matrix is closely related to the inverse of a matrix. If a square matrix \( A \) is invertible (i.e., \( |A| \neq 0 \)), its inverse \( A^{-1} \) can be calculated using the adjoint matrix and the determinant:

\( A^{-1} = \frac{1}{|A|} \operatorname{adj} A \)

This formula comes directly from the property \( A (\operatorname{adj} A) = |A| I \). If \( |A| \neq 0 \), we can multiply both sides by \( \frac{1}{|A|} \):

\( \frac{1}{|A|} A (\operatorname{adj} A) = \frac{1}{|A|} (|A| I) \)

\( A \left( \frac{1}{|A|} \operatorname{adj} A \right) = I \)

By definition of matrix inverse, \( A A^{-1} = I \). Comparing this with the equation above, we see that \( A^{-1} = \frac{1}{|A|} \operatorname{adj} A \).

In our specific problem, since \( |A| = -5 \) (which is not zero), the matrix \( A \) is invertible. If \( |A| \) were 0, the matrix \( A \) would be singular and would not have an inverse.

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Similar Questions

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Important Questions from Determinants

  1. An even number is the determinant of which of the following matrices?

    (A) \(\begin{bmatrix} 1 & -1 \\ -1 & 5 \end{bmatrix}\)

    (B) \(\begin{bmatrix} 13 & -1 \\ -1 & 15 \end{bmatrix}\)

    (C) \(\begin{bmatrix} 16 & -1 \\ -11 & 15 \end{bmatrix}\)

    (D) \(\begin{bmatrix} 6 & -12 \\ 11 & 15 \end{bmatrix}\)

    Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

  2. Two pipes A and B together can fill a tank in 40 minutes. Pipe A is twice as fast as pipe B. Pipe A alone can fill the tank in :

  3. There are 6 cards numbered 1 to 6, one number on one card. Two cards are drawn at random without replacement.

    Let X denote the sum of the numbers on the two cards drawn.

    Then P(X > 3) is:

  4. A random variable X has the following probability distribution:

     X | -2 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 2
    --------------------------------------------
    P(X) | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2
    

    The variance of X will be:

  5.  The angle between two lines whose direction ratios are proportional to \( (\sqrt{3} - 1) \), \( (-\sqrt{3} - 1) \), and -4 is:

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