Determinants and inverses of 3 by 3 matrices
Grade 11 Math Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer, or write your answer on the line.
Ari's robot stores A = [2, 5, 1; 0, 3, 4; 0, 0, 4], with zeros below the diagonal. What is det(A)?
Bo's robot stores A = [1, 5, 1; 0, 5, 4; 0, 0, 2], with zeros below the diagonal. What is det(A)?
Esme's robot stores A = [3, 5, 1; 0, 2, 4; 0, 0, 3], with zeros below the diagonal. What is det(A)?
Read this first
Number table for A = [2, 1, 3; 0, 4, 1; 1, 2, 5] (sign pattern for row 1: +, −, +)
row column 1 column 2 column 3 1 2 1 3 2 0 4 1 3 1 2 5 Using the table, which numbers make the minor for the 2 in row 1, Jun?
- 1, 3, 2, 5
- 0, 4, 1, 2
- 4, 1, 2, 5
Using the table, what signs does Kira put on the three terms of row 1?
- +, +, +
- +, −, +
- −, +, −
Using the table, what is the minor for the 1 in row 1, Luz?
- 18
- 1
- −1
Milo's 3 by 3 matrix has determinant 6. What does that tell Milo?
- It is the identity
- It has no inverse
- It has an inverse
What does the 3 by 3 identity matrix I look like on Pia's sheet?
- 1s on the diagonal, 0s elsewhere
- 0s on the diagonal, 1s elsewhere
- 1 in each of its nine cells
How can Ren check that B is the inverse of A?
- Check det(B) = det(A)
- Multiply: A × B should be I
- Add: A + B should be 0
Tala multiplies row (1, 1, 0) by column (1, 0, 0). What is the entry?
- 1
- 2
- 0

