Example

Practice: Evaluating the Determinant of a 2×22 \times 2 Matrix

Evaluate the determinant of the matrix [5324]\begin{bmatrix} 5 & -3 \\ 2 & -4 \end{bmatrix}.

Solution: First, write the matrix in determinant form using vertical bars: 5324\begin{vmatrix} 5 & -3 \\ 2 & -4 \end{vmatrix}. Next, calculate the determinant by subtracting the product of the off-diagonal entries from the product of the main diagonal entries: (5)(4)(2)(3)(5)(-4) - (2)(-3). Now, simplify the expression by performing the multiplications: 20(6)-20 - (-6). Finally, convert the subtraction to addition and solve: 20+6=14-20 + 6 = -14. The determinant is 14-14.

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Updated 2026-05-26

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