Q.If A and B are invertible matrices, then which of the following is not correct?
(A) adjA=∣A∣⋅A−1
(B) det(A)−1=[det(A)]−1
(C) (AB)−1=B−1A−1
(D) (A+B)−1=B−1+A−1
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🔒 Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Concept understanding — Inverse of a Product
Inverse of a Product: The "Socks and Shoes" Principle
You put on your socks first, then your shoes. To take them off, you can't remove the socks while the shoes are still on — you must reverse the order: shoes off first, then socks.
That's exactly the inverse of a product of matrices. If you apply transformation A first, then B, the combined effect is BA (read right-to-left: A acts first, then B). To undo it, undo B first, then A:
(AB)−1=B−1A−1
The order flips — forced by the logic of undoing.
Why the order must reverse
Check that B−1A−1 is the inverse of AB. We need (AB)(B−1A−1)=I and (B−1A−1)(AB)=I:
(AB)(B−1A−1)=A(BB−1)A−1=AIA−1=AA−1=I
B and B−1 cancel first, leaving A and A−1 to cancel. The other check works the same way:
(B−1A−1)(AB)=B−1(A−1A)B=B−1IB=B−1B=I
If you tried (AB)−1=A−1B−1 instead:
(AB)(A−1B−1)=A(BA−1)B−1
and BA−1 is not I — the matrices are in the wrong order. So the reversal is essential.
A common mistake is writing (AB)−1=A−1B−1. This is false unless A and B commute (which they almost never do). Always flip the order.
A concrete example with numbers
Let A=(1021) and B=(1101), with inverses:
A−1=(10−21),B−1=(1−101)
Then:
AB=(1021)(1101)=(3121),(AB)−1=(1−1−23)
Now compute B−1A−1:
B−1A−1=(1−101)(10−21)=(1−1−23)
They match. Try A−1B−1 and you'll get a different matrix — the wrong answer.
--- …
Concept: Inverse of a Product — the reversal rule for matrix inverses.
Step 1: Check option (A).
By definition, A−1=∣A∣adjA, so rearranging gives adjA=∣A∣⋅A−1. This is correct.
Step 2: Check option (B).
det(A)−1 means the inverse of the matrix A, then take determinant: det(A−1)=detA1=[det(A)]−1. This is correct.
Step 3: Check option (C).
For invertible A and B, (AB)−1=B−1A−1 — the reversal rule. This is correct.
Step 4: Check option (D). …
The key idea is that while the inverse of a product reverses the order, the inverse of a sum does not distribute like that — so option (D) is the false statement.
We need to test each option against known properties of invertible matrices. Let’s go through them one by one.
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Option (A): adjA=∣A∣⋅A−1
This is a standard formula. For any invertible matrix A, the adjugate satisfies A⋅adjA=∣A∣I. Multiplying both sides by A−1 gives adjA=∣A∣A−1. So this is correct.
-
Option (B): det(A)−1=[det(A)]−1
This is just notation. The left side means the determinant of A−1, and the right side means the reciprocal of det(A). Since det(A−1)=1/det(A) for invertible A, they are equal. So this is correct.
-
Option (C): (AB)−1=B−1A−1
This is the fundamental reversal property for inverses of products. Multiply AB on the right by B−1A−1: (AB)(B−1A−1)=A(BB−1)A−1=AIA−1=I. So indeed B−1A−1 is the inverse of AB. Correct.
-
Option (D): (A+B)−1=B−1+A−1 …
Method: Testing Matrix-Inverse Identity Statements
When an MCQ lists several claimed identities involving inverses, adjoints, or determinants of invertible matrices and asks which one is false, don't try to "feel out" the answer — check each option against the small set of proven inverse laws, and disprove any option that has no such law behind it using a quick counterexample.
Steps
Step 1: List the standard toolbox of inverse/adjoint identities
Before testing anything, have these on hand for invertible square matrices A,B:
A⋅adj(A)=∣A∣I⇒adj(A)=∣A∣A−1
∣A−1∣=∣A∣1,(AB)−1=B−1A−1
These three come from definitions and the determinant-of-a-product rule — they always hold for invertible matrices.
Step 2: Match each option to a law or flag it as unproven …
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Assuming inverses distribute over addition, like they (sort of) do over multiplication
Why it's wrong: students who have just learned (AB)−1=B−1A−1 often overgeneralise and assume every inverse operation "spreads out" over + the same way, i.e. (A+B)−1=A−1+B−1. But inversion is not linear — there is no addition law for inverses at all, standard or reversed. Correct approach: treat "(A+B)−1" as having no simplification rule; if an option proposes one, test it with A=B=I before trusting it.
Mistake 2: Misreading det(A)−1 as "the negative of the determinant" …
- COMEDK 2023Set 2023-E1 markMCQQ.A and B are invertible matrices of the same order such that (AB)−1=8 if ∣A∣=2 then ∣B∣ is (A) 6 (B) 16 (C) 4 (D) 161
›Reveal solutionSolution
Using ∣(AB)−1∣=∣A∣∣B∣1 with ∣A∣=2 gives 2∣B∣1=8, so ∣B∣=161.
For invertible matrices,
∣(AB)−1∣=∣AB∣1=∣A∣∣B∣1.
Substituting the data: …
- COMEDK 2024Set 2024-A1 markMCQQ.If A=521032421B−1=111343334 then (AB)−1 is equal to (A) −2−23191829−27−2542 (B) −2−2−3191829−27−25−42 (C) −219−27−218−25−329−42 (D) 223−19−18−29272542
›Reveal solutionSolution
The key idea is that (AB)−1=B−1A−1, so we first compute A−1 and then multiply by the given B−1. The correct result matches option (B).
We are given matrices A and B−1, and asked for (AB)−1. The fundamental property of inverses is that (AB)−1=B−1A−1, provided both A and B are invertible. So we need A−1 first, then multiply B−1 by A−1.
Why this approach works:
Instead of finding B (which would require inverting B−1) and then multiplying A and B and inverting the product, we use the reversal rule. This saves work because we already have B−1 and only need to invert A, a 3×3 matrix.
- Find A−1 using the adjugate method. For A=521032421, compute the determinant:
det(A)=5(3⋅1−2⋅2)−0(2⋅1−2⋅1)+4(2⋅2−3⋅1)=5(3−4)+4(4−3)=5(−1)+4(1)=−5+4=−1.
Since det(A)=−1=0, A is invertible.
-
Compute the cofactor matrix.
For each entry aij, the cofactor Cij=(−1)i+jMij, where Mij is the minor (determinant of the submatrix after removing row i, column j).
- C11=+3221=3⋅1−2⋅2=3−4=−1
- C12=−2121=−(2⋅1−2⋅1)=−(2−2)=0
- C13=+2132=2⋅2−3⋅1=4−3=1
- C21=−0241=−(0⋅1−4⋅2)=−(0−8)=8
- C22=+5141=5⋅1−4⋅1=5−4=1
- C23=−5102=−(5⋅2−0⋅1)=−(10−0)=−10
- C31=+0342=0⋅2−4⋅3=0−12=−12
- C32=−5242=−(5⋅2−4⋅2)=−(10−8)=−2
- C33=+5203=5⋅3−0⋅2=15−0=15
So the cofactor matrix is:
Cof(A)=−18−1201−21−1015.
- Transpose to get the adjugate, then divide by determinant. The adjugate is the transpose of the cofactor matrix:
adj(A)=−10181−10−12−215.
Since det(A)=−1, we have A−1=det(A)1adj(A)=−1⋅adj(A):
A−1=10−1−8−110122−15.
-
Multiply B−1 by A−1 to get (AB)−1.
Given B−1=111343334, compute B−1A−1:
Let C=B−1A−1. Then Cij is the dot product of row i of B−1 with column j of A−1.
- Row 1 of B−1: [1,3,3] …
- COMEDK 2026Set 2026-M1 markMCQQ.Given the matrices A=101010102 and B=210112021, then the minor M23 of the matrix (AB−1)−1 is: (A) 2 (B) 9 (C) 4 (D) -9
›Reveal solutionSolution
(AB−1)−1=BA−1=40−1112−211, and the minor M23=4−112=9.
Simplify the matrix. Using (XY)−1=Y−1X−1,
(AB−1)−1=(B−1)−1A−1=BA−1.
Find A−1. With A=101010102, expanding gives detA=1(2−0)−0+1(0−1)=1. Its inverse is
A−1=20−1010−101.
Compute BA−1 with B=210112021: …
- COMEDK 2025Set 2025-M1 markMCQQ.For two matrices A and B, given that A−1=81B then inverse of (8A) is (A) 81B (B) 8 B (C) 641B (D) B
›Reveal solutionSolution
The key idea is that scaling a matrix scales its inverse inversely. Given A−1=81B, the inverse of 8A is 641B, so the correct option is (C).
The concept here is a fundamental property of matrix inverses: if you multiply a matrix by a nonzero scalar k, its inverse gets multiplied by 1/k. Why? Because the inverse must undo the original matrix. If A sends a vector v to Av, then kA sends it to k(Av). To get back to v, you need to first divide by k (i.e., multiply by 1/k) and then apply A−1. So (kA)−1=k1A−1. This is the intuition that drives the solution.
Now, let’s work through it step by step.
-
Start with the given relationship.
We know A−1=81B. This tells us that the inverse of A is a scalar multiple of B.
-
We need the inverse of 8A.
Using the property (kA)−1=k1A−1 for any nonzero scalar k, set k=8. Then:
(8A)−1=81A−1.
- Substitute the expression for A−1. From step 1, A−1=81B. So:
(8A)−1=81⋅81B=641B.
- Match with the options. The result 641B corresponds exactly to option (C). …
-
- KCET 2025Set A-11 markMCQQ.If Z1 and Z2 are two non-zero complex numbers, then which of the following is not true? (A) Z1+Z2=Z1+Z2 (B) ∣Z1Z2∣=∣Z1∣∣Z2∣ (C) Z1Z2=Z1Z2 (D) ∣Z1+Z2∣≥∣Z1∣+∣Z2∣
›Reveal solutionSolution
Three options are standard true identities (conjugate of a sum, conjugate of a product, modulus of a product); the triangle inequality is stated with its inequality reversed, so (D) is the false one.
Step 1 — Check (B): ∣Z1Z2∣=∣Z1∣∣Z2∣.
Write Z1=r1eiθ1, Z2=r2eiθ2. Then Z1Z2=r1r2ei(θ1+θ2), whose modulus is r1r2=∣Z1∣∣Z2∣. TRUE — multiplication multiplies moduli and adds arguments.
Step 2 — Check (A) and (C): the conjugation properties.
With Z=x+iy, conjugation is reflection in the real axis, and it is a ring homomorphism:
Z1+Z2=Z1+Z2,Z1Z2=Z1⋅Z2.
Proof of the first: if Z1=a+ib, Z2=c+id, then Z1+Z2=(a+c)+i(b+d)=(a+c)−i(b+d)=(a−ib)+(c−id) ✓. These are the identities options (A) and (C) are quoting — both TRUE.
Step 3 — Check (D): the triangle inequality.
The genuine theorem is
∣Z1+Z2∣ ≤ ∣Z1∣+∣Z2∣ …
- KCET 2023Set A-21 markMCQQ.Given that a, b and x are real numbers and a<b, x<0 then (A) xa≥xb (B) xa<xb (C) xa≤xb (D) xa>xb
›Reveal solutionSolution
Multiplying or dividing both sides of an inequality by a negative quantity flips the inequality sign — and because a<b is strict, the result is strict too.
1. The rule being tested
For real numbers, if a<b and c<0, then
ac>bcandca>cb
The sense of the inequality reverses. The reason: a<b⟺b−a>0. Multiplying a positive number b−a by a negative number gives a negative number, so c(b−a)<0, i.e. cb<ca.
2. Apply it
Here the multiplier is x1, and since x<0 we have x1<0. Given a<b:
b−a>0⟹xb−a<0⟹xb−xa<0⟹xa>xb
3. Why the inequality is strict …
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