The University of Sydney

MATH1002 Linear Algebra

Semester 1 Preparatory Exercises for Week 7 2023

Answers are provided below.

Important Ideas and Useful Facts:
(i) The inverse of a matrix A is a matrix A−1 such that, for some positive integer n,

AA−1 = A−1 A = In .

Only square matrices have inverses. When it exists, the inverse A−1 is unique.
(ii) Only half of the definition needs to be checked, in the following sense: if A is a square matrix and
AB = I or BA = I, then
AB = BA = I
so that the inverse A−1 exists and equals B.
(iii) Let A be an invertible matrix. Then AT is invertible and (AT )−1 = (A−1 )T .

(iv) A matrix is invertible if its inverse exists. If A and B are invertible matrices of the same size, then
AB is invertible and (AB)−1 = B −1 A−1 .
(v) Let A be an invertible matrix. If n is an integer define

 I if n = 0




· · · A}

 AA
 if n is positive
An
| {z
= n times



−1 −1 −1

 |A A {z· · · A } if n is negative



−n times

Then, for all integers m, n and all nonzero scalars λ,

1 −1
Am An = Am+n , (A−1 )−1 = A , (Am )n = Amn , (λA)−1 = A .
λ

(vi) The determinant of a 1 × 1 matrix [a] is simply the entry a.

 
a b
(vii) The determinant of a 2 × 2 matrix A = is
c d
 
a b 
det(A) =    = ad − bc.
c d
 
a b
(viii) Let A = . Then A is invertible if and only if det(A) ̸= 0, in which case A−1 =
c d
   
1 d −b 1 d −b
= .
det(A) −c a ad − bc −c a
  
(ix) A square
  matrix A is invertible if and only if the augmented matrix A  I can be row reduced to
I  B , in which case A−1 = B.
(x) If a system of equations can be expressed in the form Ax = b where A is invertible, then x = A−1 b.

1
Preparatory Exercises:

1. Evaluate the determinants for the following 2 × 2 matrices and hence determine whether or not they
are invertible. If they are invertible, find the inverse.
         
1 −2 1 0 0 2 5 4 6 12
A= , B= , C= , D= , E= .
−1 3 0 2 1 0 3 3 3 6

2. Apply row reduction to the following augmented matrices to invert A and D of the previous exercise:
   
1 −2 1 0 5 4 1 0
, .
−1 3 0 1 3 3 0 1

Answers:

1. det(A) = 1 , det(B) = 2 , det(C) = −2 , det(D) = 3 and det(E) = 0.

A, B, C, D are invertible and E is not invertible.
       
3 2 1 0 0 1 1 −4/3
A−1 = , B −1 = , C −1
= , D−1 =
1 1 0 12 1
2 0 −1 5/3
   
1 0 3 2 1 0 1 −4/3
2. ,
0 1 1 1 0 1 −1 5/3

Copyright © Some of these tutorial exercises have been adapted from A First Course in Linear Algebra by David Easdown
and from Linear Algebra: A Modern Introduction, 4th Edition by David Poole.