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Worked Examples · Example 11

Q.Without fully expanding, show that ∣123456789∣=0\begin{vmatrix}1&2&3\\4&5&6\\7&8&9\end{vmatrix}=0.

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Observe the three rows: R1=(1,2,3)R_1=(1,2,3), R2=(4,5,6)R_2=(4,5,6), R3=(7,8,9)R_3=(7,8,9). Adding the first and third rows:

R1+R3=(1+7, 2+8, 3+9)=(8,10,12)=2(4,5,6)=2R2R_1+R_3=(1+7,\,2+8,\,3+9)=(8,10,12)=2(4,5,6)=2R_2

So R1+R3=2R2R_1+R_3=2R_2, i.e. the rows satisfy a linear relationship: R1−2R2+R3=(0,0,0)R_1-2R_2+R_3=(0,0,0).

By the row-operation property (Section 5), applying R1→R1−2R2+R3R_1 \to R_1-2R_2+R_3 does not change the value of the determinant, but it replaces the first row with (0,0,0)(0,0,0) — a determinant with an entirely zero row is 00 (expanding along that row, every term in the expansion is multiplied by 00). Hence the determinant is 00. …

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