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Question

What is the value of the determinant of the inverse of the matrix \(\begin{bmatrix} -4 & -5 \\ 2 & 2 \end{bmatrix}\)?

This question was previously asked in
NDA 2 2025 GAT Question Paper (14-Sep-2025)
The correct answer is
\(\frac{1}{2}\)

Solving for the Determinant of an Inverse Matrix

This problem asks us to find the value of the determinant of the inverse of a given 2x2 matrix. Let the matrix be denoted by A.

\(A = \begin{bmatrix} -4 & -5 \\ 2 & 2 \end{bmatrix}\)

We need to find \(det(A^{-1})\).

Key Concepts for Matrix Determinants

There are a couple of important properties of determinants that make this calculation simpler:

  • The determinant of a 2x2 matrix \(\begin{bmatrix} a & b \\ c & d \end{bmatrix}\) is calculated as \(ad - bc\).
  • A crucial property relating a matrix and its inverse is: \(det(A^{-1}) = \frac{1}{det(A)}\). This means we don't need to calculate the inverse matrix itself to find its determinant.

Step 1: Calculate the Determinant of the Original Matrix (A)

First, let's find the determinant of the given matrix A using the formula \(ad - bc\).

For matrix \(A = \begin{bmatrix} -4 & -5 \\ 2 & 2 \end{bmatrix}\), we have \(a = -4\), \(b = -5\), \(c = 2\), and \(d = 2\).

Calculating the determinant:

\(det(A) = (-4)(2) - (-5)(2)\)
\(det(A) = -8 - (-10)\)
\(det(A) = -8 + 10\)
\(det(A) = 2\)

Step 2: Use the Determinant Property to Find \(det(A^{-1})\)

Now, we apply the property \(det(A^{-1}) = \frac{1}{det(A)}\).

Since we found that \(det(A) = 2\), we can substitute this value:

\(det(A^{-1}) = \frac{1}{2}\)

Conclusion

The value of the determinant of the inverse of the matrix \(\begin{bmatrix} -4 & -5 \\ 2 & 2 \end{bmatrix}\) is \(\frac{1}{2}\).

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