Determinants
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
12 PREFACECHAPTER I DETERMINANTS The notion of a determinant appeared at the end of 17th century in works of Leibniz (1646–1716) and a Japanese mathematician, Seki Kova, also known as Takakazu (1642–1708). Leibniz did not publish the results of his studies related with determinants. The best known is his letter to l’Hospital (1693) in which Leibniz writes down the determinant condition of compatibility for a system of three linear equations in two unknowns. Leibniz particularly emphasized the usefulness of two indices when expressing the coefficients of the equations. In modern terms he actually wrote about the indices i, j in the expression xi = j aijyj. Seki arrived at the notion of a determinant while solving the problem of finding common roots of algebraic equations. In Europe, the search for common roots of algebraic equations soon also became the main trend associated with determinants. Newton, Bezout, and Euler studied this problem. Seki did not have the general notion of the derivative at his disposal, but he actually got an algebraic expression equivalent to the derivative of a polynomial. He searched for multiple roots of a polynomial f(x) as common roots of f(x) and f (x). To find common roots of polynomials f(x) and g(x) (for f and g of small degrees) Seki got determinant expressions. The main treatise by Seki was published in 1674; there applications of the method are published, rather than the method itself. He kept the main method in secret confiding only in his closest pupils. In Europe, the first publication related to determinants, due to Cramer, ap- peared in 1750. In this work Cramer gave a determinant expression for a solution of the problem of finding the conic through 5 fixed points (this problem reduces to a system of linear equations). The general theorems on determinants were proved only ad hoc when needed to solve some other problem. Therefore, the theory of determinants had been develop- ing slowly, left behind out of proportion as compared with the general development of mathematics. A systematic presentation of the theory of determinants is mainly associated with the names of Cauchy (1789–1857) and Jacobi (1804–1851). 1. Basic properties of determinants n The determinant of a square matrix A = aij 1 is the alternated sum ( 1)σa a ...a , − 1σ(1) 2σ(2) nσ(n) σ where the summation is over all permutations σ Sn. The determinant of the n n ∈ matrix A = aij 1 is denoted by det A or aij 1 .IfdetA = 0, then A is called invertible or nonsingular. | | The following properties are often used to compute determinants. The reader can easily verify (or recall) them. 1. Under the permutation of two rows of a matrix A its determinant changes the sign. In particular, if two rows of the matrix are identical, det A = 0. Typeset by -TEX AMS 1. BASIC PROPERTIES OF DETERMINANTS 13 AC 2. If A and B are square matrices, det =detA det B. 0 B · n 3. a n = ( 1)i+ja M ,whereM is the determinant of the matrix | ij|1 j=1 − ij ij ij obtained from A by crossing out the ith row and the jth column of A (the row (echelon) expansion of the determinant or, more precisely, the expansion with respect to the ith row). (To prove this formula one has to group the factors of aij,wherej =1,...,n, for a fixed i.) 4. λα1 + µβ1 a12 ... a1n α1 a12 ... a1n β1 a12 ... a1n . . = λ . + µ . ··· ··· ··· λα + µβ a ... a αn an2 ... ann β a ... a n n n2 nn n n2 nn 5. det(AB)=detA det B. 6. det(AT )=detA. 1.1. Before we start computing determinants, let us prove Cramer’s rule.It appeared already in the first published paper on determinants. Theorem (Cramer’s rule). Consider a system of linear equations x a + + x a = b (i =1,...,n), 1 i1 ··· n in i i.e., x A + + x A = B, 1 1 ··· n n n where Aj is the jth column of the matrix A = aij 1 . Then xi det(A1,...,An)=det(A1,...,B,...,A n) , where the column B is inserted instead of Ai. Proof. Since for j = i the determinant of the matrix det(A1,...,Aj,...,An), a matrix with two identical columns, vanishes, det(A1,...,B,...,An)=det(A1,..., xjAj,...,An) = xj det(A1,...,A j,...,An)=xi det(A1,...,An). If det(A1,...,An) = 0 the formula obtained can be used to find solutions of a system of linear equations. 1.2. One of the most often encountered determinants is the Vandermonde de- terminant, i.e., the determinant of the Vandermonde matrix 2 n 1 1 x1 x1 ... x1 − . V (x1,...,xn)= . = (xi xj). − 1 x x2 ···... xn 1 i>j n n n− To compute this determinant, let us subtract the (k 1)-st column multiplied by x from the kth one for k = n, n 1,...,2. The− first row takes the form 1 − 14 DETERMINANTS (1, 0, 0,...,0), i.e., the computation of the Vandermonde determinant of order n reduces to a determinant of order n 1. Factorizing each row of the new determinant by bringing out x x we get − i − 1 2 n 2 1 x2 x2 ... x1 − . V (x1,...,xn)= (xi x1) . . − i>1 1 x x2 ···... xn 2 n n n− For n =2theidentityV (x1,x2)=x2 x1 is obvious, hence, − V (x ,...,x )= (x x ). 1 n i − j i>j Many of the applications of the Vandermonde determinant are occasioned by the fact that V (x1,...,xn) = 0 if and only if there are two equal numbers among x1,...,xn. n 1 1.3. The Cauchy determinant aij 1 ,whereaij =(xi + yj)− , is slightly more difficult to compute than the Vandermonde| | determinant. Let us prove by induction that (xi xj)(yi yj) n i>j − − aij 1 = . | | (xi + yj) i,j 1 1 For a base of induction take aij 1 =(x1 + y1)− . The step of induction will be| performed| in two stages. First, let us subtract the last column from each of the preceding ones. We get 1 1 1 1 a =(x + y )− (x + y )− =(y y )(x + y )− (x + y )− for j = n. ij i j − i n n − j i n i j 1 Let us take out of each row the factors (xi + yn)− and take out of each column, except the last one, the factors y y . As a result we get the determinant b n, n − j | ij|1 where bij = aij for j = n and bin = 1. To compute this determinant, let us subtract the last row from each of the preceding ones. Taking out of each row, except the last one, the factors xn xi 1 − and out of each column, except the last one, the factors (xn + yj)− we make it possible to pass to a Cauchy determinant of lesser size. 1.4. A matrix A of the form 010... 00 001... 00 . . .. .. .. . 000 .. 10 000... 01 a0 a1 a2 ... an 2 an 1 − − is called Frobenius’ matrix or the companion matrix of the polynomial n n 1 n 2 p(λ)=λ an 1λ − an 2λ − a0. − − − − −···− With the help of the expansion with respect to the first row it is easy to verify by induction that n n 1 n 2 det(λI A)=λ an 1λ − an 2λ − a0 = p(λ). − − − − − −···− 1. BASIC PROPERTIES OF DETERMINANTS 15 1.5. Let bi,i Z, such that bk = bl if k l (mod n) be given; the matrix n ∈ ≡ aij 1 ,whereaij = bi j, is called a circulant matrix. Let ε ,...,ε be distinct− nth roots of unity; let 1 n n 1 f(x)=b0 + b1x + + bn 1x − . ··· − Let us prove that the determinant of the circulant matrix a n is equal to | ij|1 f(ε1)f(ε2) ...f(εn). It is easy to verify that for n =3wehave 11 1 b0 b2 b1 f(1) f(1) f(1) 2 2 1 ε1 ε1 b1 b0 b2 f(ε1) ε1f(ε1) ε1f(ε1) 2 2 1 ε2 ε2 b2 b1 b0 f(ε2) ε2f(ε2) ε2f(ε2) 11 1 2 = f(1)f(ε1)f(ε2) 1 ε1 ε1 . 2 1 ε2 ε2 Therefore, V (1,ε ,ε ) a 3 = f(1)f(ε )f(ε )V (1,ε ,ε ). 1 2 | ij|1 1 2 1 2 Taking into account that the Vandermonde determinant V (1,ε1,ε2) does not vanish, we have: a 3 = f(1)f(ε )f(ε ). | ij|1 1 2 The proof of the general case is similar. n 1.6. A tridiagonal matrix is a square matrix J = aij 1 ,whereaij = 0 for i j > 1. | − | Let ai = aii for i =1,...,n,letbi = ai,i+1 and ci =ai+1,i for i =1,...,n 1. Then the tridiagonal matrix takes the form − a1 b1 0 ... 000 c1 a2 b2 ... 000 .. 0 c2 a3 . 000 . . .. .. . . . 000 .. a b 0 n 2 n 2 000... c − a − b n 2 n 1 n 1 000... 0− c − a− n 1 n − To compute the determinant of this matrix we can make use of the following k recurrent relation. Let ∆0 = 1 and ∆k = aij 1 for k 1. k | | ≥ Expanding aij 1 with respect to the kth row it is easy to verify that ∆k = ak∆k 1 bk 1ck 1∆k 2 for k 2. − − − − − ≥ The recurrence relation obtained indicates, in particular, that ∆n (the determinant of J) depends not on the numbers bi, cj themselves but on their products of the form bici.