Matrix Determinant

Steps to Calculate the Determinant:

1. For a 2x2 matrix, calculate the determinant as (ad - bc), where the matrix is:

                | a  b |
                | c  d |
                

2. For larger matrices, use cofactor expansion to reduce the matrix size step by step (Hint: use the cofactor tab to help you practice!).
3. For each cofactor, calculate the determinant of the resulting smaller matrix, and apply the appropriate sign.
4. Continue until the matrix is reduced to a 2x2 matrix, where you can apply the formula (this is really just one way of solving it, but the resources here make it easy to practice).