Let 𝐴 be an 𝑛 Γ— 𝑛 matrix over the set of all real numbers ℝ. Let 𝐡 be a…

2024

Let 𝐴 be an 𝑛 Γ— 𝑛 matrix over the set of all real numbers ℝ. Let 𝐡 be a matrix obtained from 𝐴 by swapping two rows. Which of the following statements is/are TRUE?

  1. A.

    The determinant of 𝐡 is the negative of the determinant of 𝐴

  2. B.

    If 𝐴 is invertible, then 𝐡 is also invertible

  3. C.

    If 𝐴 is symmetric, then 𝐡 is also symmetric

  4. D.

    If the trace of 𝐴 is zero, then the trace of 𝐡 is also zero

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Correct answer: A, B

Answer: The true statements are: the determinant of B is the negative of the determinant of A, and if A is invertible then B is also invertible.

  • Determinant change: Swapping two rows is equivalent to left-multiplying A by a row-permutation matrix P that represents the transposition; such a P has determinant βˆ’1. Hence det(B) = det(P)Β·det(A) = βˆ’det(A).

  • Invertibility: If det(A) β‰  0 then det(B) = βˆ’det(A) β‰  0, so B is invertible. Equivalently, B = PΒ·A and P is invertible, so B is invertible whenever A is.

  • Symmetry: Not necessarily preserved. Example: A = [[1,0],[0,2]] is symmetric, but swapping the two rows gives B = [[0,2],[1,0]], which is not symmetric.

  • Trace: Not preserved in general. Using the same example, trace(A) = 1+2 = 3 while trace(B) = 0+0 = 0, so the trace can change after swapping rows.

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