Determinant

The determinant is a special number that can be calculated from a square matrix. The determinant provides important information about the matrix and the linear map it represents, such as whether the matrix is invertible or the system of equations it represents has a unique solution.

For the 2x2 matrix , the determinant is calculated as:

The computation becomes more complex for larger square matrices, often involving recursion and the concept of minors and cofactors.

Matrix

In math, a matrix is a function that maps between two vector spaces. A matrix can also be thought of as a shorthand way to write a system of linear equations.