Question Details

Which of the following is the formula for calculating the inverse of the matrix?

Options

A

(2/|A|) adj A

B

(1/|A|) adj A

C

(-1/|A|) adj A

D

(1/|2A|) adj A

Correct Answer :

(1/|A|) adj A

Solution :

The correct option is (1/|A|) adj A.

To understand why this is the correct formula for finding the inverse of a matrix, let us review the definition of a matrix inverse and its derivation step-by-step.

1. Definition of the Inverse Matrix:
For a square matrix A of order n × n , its inverse matrix is denoted as A - 1 . By definition, multiplying a matrix by its inverse yields the identity matrix I :

A · A - 1 = A - 1 · A = I

2. The Relationship Between a Matrix and its Adjugate:
A fundamental theorem in linear algebra states that when a matrix A is multiplied by its adjugate matrix, denoted as adj ( A ) , the result is a diagonal matrix where each diagonal entry is equal to the determinant of A (denoted as | A | ). Mathematically, this is expressed as:

A · adj ( A ) = | A | · I

3. Deriving the Inverse Formula:
Assuming the matrix A is non-singular (meaning its determinant is non-zero, or | A | 0 ), we can divide both sides of the relation by the scalar | A | :

A · 1 | A | · adj ( A ) = I

Comparing this equation with the definition of the inverse matrix, A · A - 1 = I , we can directly conclude that:

A - 1 = 1 | A | · adj ( A )

Thus, the correct formula to calculate the inverse of the matrix is indeed ( 1 / | A | ) adj A .

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