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Determinant of a Matrix

Explore how to understand and calculate the determinant of square matrices using recursive algorithms. Learn to interpret the determinant's geometric and algebraic meanings and implement computations in R, RcppArmadillo, and RcppEigen to ensure consistent and accurate results.

What is a determinant?

A determinant is a scalar value that can be computed from the elements of a square matrix and encodes certain properties of the linear transformation described by the matrix. The determinant of a matrix AA is denoted by det(A)det(A) or ∣𝐴∣|𝐴|. Geometrically, it can be understood as the volume scaling factor of a linear transformation described by the matrix. This is also the signed volume of the n-dimensional and parallelepiped shape, spanned by the column or row vectors of the matrix. The determinant is positive or negative, according to whether the linear mapping preserves or reverses the orientation of n-space.

Determinant computation formula

The general computation for a (𝑛×𝑛)(𝑛 \times 𝑛) ...