If , then is equal to :

Question

If , then  is equal to :

Canvas Classes · Accepted Answer

🧠 Find a Row Operation That Produces a Zero Entry — Then Expand

The matrix is full of "linear in " entries. Direct expansion gives a cubic in , but the algebra is messy. Look for a row combination that produces a clean row (with zeros). Notice  — testing in column 1: . So this combination collapses column 1 in row 3 to zero.

After the row operation, the determinant expands along the new row 3 with only two non-zero terms.

This is the habit I want you to build: scan rows for combinations that

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