MHT-CET Maths · Teaching notes
Determinants and Matrices — MHT-CET Maths
Determinants and Matrices is small, expensive and unusually reusable: about one question a paper, nearly half of them HARD, but the content is a short list of identities that are recalled rather than derived, and the vanishing-determinant test learned here reappears as concurrency, collinearity, coplanarity and the scalar triple product across four other chapters. The difficulty is not computation — a 2 × 2 inverse takes ten seconds — but recognition: which identity turns a question about A·adj(A), a matrix polynomial or a power of A into one line. Work the pages below in order; each identity is stated once, where it is first needed, and the later pages use it without re-deriving it. Every PYQ is tagged.
Every subtopic, worked example, formula and trap in one printable document — answers shown, ready to share.
Subtopic notes
Determinants, Cofactors and the Adjoint Identities
16 PYQsCofactors build both the determinant and the adjoint — and three identities, A·adj(A) = |A|I, |adj A| = |A|ⁿ⁻¹ and |kA| = kⁿ|A|, answer most of what MHT-CET asks about them.
Open note
Inverse of a Matrix — Adjoint Formula, Products and Verification
15 PYQsA⁻¹ = adj(A)/|A| — for a 2 × 2 that is swap-the-diagonal, negate-the-off-diagonal, divide by the determinant — and (AB)⁻¹ = B⁻¹A⁻¹ handles anything built from products.
Open note
Cayley–Hamilton, Matrix Polynomials and Powers
10 PYQsEvery 2 × 2 matrix satisfies A² − (trace)A + |A|I = 0 — so A⁻¹ is a combination αI + βA, a factored polynomial in A gives A⁻¹ in one line, and powers of A cycle.
Open note
Systems of Linear Equations and Symmetric, Skew-Symmetric Matrices
8 PYQsAX = B is solved by elimination or by X = A⁻¹B; a homogeneous system has non-trivial solutions exactly when |A| = 0; and any square matrix splits uniquely into a symmetric plus a skew-symmetric part.
Open note
PYQ weightage by concept
17 concepts · 49 PYQs — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
PYQ weightage by concept
17 concepts · 49 PYQs — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| The Adjoint and A·adj(A) = |A|·I | 4 | 8% |
| A·adj(A) = AAᵀ: Two Equations From the Diagonal and Off-Diagonal | 4 | 8% |
| Determinants and Cofactors: Expansion Along a Row | 3 | 6% |
| |adj A| = |A|ⁿ⁻¹ and |kA| = kⁿ|A| | 3 | 6% |
| Determinant Equations: When Does |A| Vanish? | 2 | 4% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Invert an Expression: Compute A² − 5A or A + B First, Then Invert | 4 | 8% |
| Inverse of a 2 × 2 Matrix | 3 | 6% |
| Matrices with tan x Entries: |A| = sec²x and adj A = Aᵀ | 3 | 6% |
| Unknown Entries and A⁻¹ = A³: Use AA⁻¹ = I | 3 | 6% |
| (AB)⁻¹ = B⁻¹A⁻¹: Inverting Products and Recovering a Factor | 2 | 4% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| A⁻¹ = αI + βA: Read α and β From the Theorem | 5 | 10% |
| A Factored Polynomial in A Gives A⁻¹ in One Line | 3 | 6% |
| Cayley–Hamilton for 2 × 2: A² − (tr A)A + |A|·I = 0 | 1 | 2% |
| Powers of a Matrix: Find the Cycle | 1 | 2% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solving AX = B: Elimination, or X = A⁻¹B | 5 | 10% |
| Symmetric + Skew-Symmetric: The Unique Split, and Why Odd-Order Skew Is Singular | 2 | 4% |
| Homogeneous Systems: Non-Trivial Solutions Need |A| = 0 | 1 | 2% |
Formula & revision sheet
17 formulas · 17 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Formula & revision sheet
17 formulas · 17 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Formulas (5)
- Determinants and Cofactors: Expansion Along a Row · Expansion and cofactors
- The Adjoint and A·adj(A) = |A|·I · The adjoint identity
- |adj A| = |A|ⁿ⁻¹ and |kA| = kⁿ|A| · Determinant identities
- A·adj(A) = AAᵀ: Two Equations From the Diagonal and Off-Diagonal · The AAᵀ condition
- Determinant Equations: When Does |A| Vanish? · Vanishing determinant
Watch out for (5)
- Reading (adj A)₂₃ as the cofactor A₂₃→ Determinants and Cofactors: Expansion Along a Row
- Substituting the relations before expanding→ The Adjoint and A·adj(A) = |A|·I
- Using |adj A| = |A|→ |adj A| = |A|ⁿ⁻¹ and |kA| = kⁿ|A|
- Equating AAᵀ to |A| only on the diagonal→ A·adj(A) = AAᵀ: Two Equations From the Diagonal and Off-Diagonal
- Stopping at cos 2B = 0→ Determinant Equations: When Does |A| Vanish?
Formulas (5)
- Inverse of a 2 × 2 Matrix · 2 × 2 inverse
- Invert an Expression: Compute A² − 5A or A + B First, Then Invert · Order of operations
- Matrices with tan x Entries: |A| = sec²x and adj A = Aᵀ · The tan-entry matrix
- (AB)⁻¹ = B⁻¹A⁻¹: Inverting Products and Recovering a Factor · Inverse of a product
- Unknown Entries and A⁻¹ = A³: Use AA⁻¹ = I · The defining property of the inverse
Watch out for (5)
- Swapping signs on the diagonal instead of the off-diagonal→ Inverse of a 2 × 2 Matrix
- Distributing the inverse over a sum→ Invert an Expression: Compute A² − 5A or A + B First, Then Invert
- Sign of the sin 2x entries→ Matrices with tan x Entries: |A| = sec²x and adj A = Aᵀ
- Keeping the order→ (AB)⁻¹ = B⁻¹A⁻¹: Inverting Products and Recovering a Factor
- Solving all nine entries→ Unknown Entries and A⁻¹ = A³: Use AA⁻¹ = I
Formulas (4)
Watch out for (4)
- Sign of the determinant term→ Cayley–Hamilton for 2 × 2: A² − (tr A)A + |A|·I = 0
- α from the wrong entry→ A⁻¹ = αI + βA: Read α and β From the Theorem
- Concluding A = 3I or A = 5I→ A Factored Polynomial in A Gives A⁻¹ in One Line
- Reducing 2029 modulo 3 instead of 12→ Powers of a Matrix: Find the Cycle
Formulas (3)
Watch out for (3)
- Trusting a solution without checking every equation→ Solving AX = B: Elimination, or X = A⁻¹B
- Reading |A| = 0 as 'no solution'→ Homogeneous Systems: Non-Trivial Solutions Need |A| = 0
- Expecting a 2 × 2 skew-symmetric matrix to be singular→ Symmetric + Skew-Symmetric: The Unique Split, and Why Odd-Order Skew Is Singular