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ksm100
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Homework Statement
Given that A is any 2x2 matrix show that it is invertible if and only if det(A) [tex]\neq[/tex] 0.
Homework Equations
The Attempt at a Solution
If A is invertible then we know there exists an inverse matrix, say B, such that AB = BA = I.
It follows that det(AB)=det(BA)=det(I), and we know that det(I) = (1*1) - (0*0) = 1, so
det(AB) = det(A)det(B) = 1 implies both det(A) and det(B) are both nonzero.
However, I'm unsure how to show the converse.
If we suppose det(A) is not equal to 0, we know that no rows/columns of A are all zero, no two rows/columns are equal, and one row/column is not a multiple of the other.
I'm stuck here.. if anyone could help I'd really appreciate it!