Which statement is true of the determinant of a matrix?
A.It can be either positive or zero, but never negative.
B.It can have more than one value, depending on the order of the matrix.
C.It is the product of all diagonal entries in a square matrix.
D.It can be computed only for a square matrix.

Question

Which statement is true of the determinant of a matrix?
A.It can be either positive or zero, but never negative.
B.It can have more than one value, depending on the order of the matrix.
C.It is the product of all diagonal entries in a square matrix.
D.It can be computed only for a square matrix.

kainui · Answer

Any ideas?

underdawg215 · Answer

not really i kinda dont understand it

kainui · Answer

Well what do you know about determinants already?

underdawg215 · Answer

i know its product of the matrix

kainui · Answer

Yeah, it's a product of the entries of the matrix added and substracted together. Do you have the definition of determinant in your book somewhere? There are a handful of different ways to define it but it's probably easier if you just tell me what your book or teacher says and then we can use that to solve the problem.

underdawg215 · Answer

The determinant of a matrix is a special number that can be calculated from a square matrix.