CBSEJEEClass 12

How do you find the inverse of a matrix?

Answer

The inverse of a square matrix A is found using A⁻¹ = adj(A)/|A|, provided its determinant |A| is not zero.

The working

Check invertibility

First find the determinant |A|. The inverse exists only if |A| ≠ 0; such a matrix is called non-singular.

Find the cofactors

Compute the cofactor of each element of A to build the cofactor matrix.

Form the adjoint

Take the transpose of the cofactor matrix to get the adjoint, adj(A).

Apply the formula

Divide the adjoint by the determinant: A⁻¹ = adj(A)/|A|. Verify by checking that A·A⁻¹ = I.

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