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Exercise 450Linear algebra › DeterminantsL1Added 3 Nov 2026

Determinant of an inverse

#inverse#determinant#formula

Statement

Let AA be an invertible matrix. Show that det⁡(A−1)=1/det⁡A\det(A^{-1})=1/\det A.

Hint

Use AA−1=IAA^{-1}=I and multiplicativity of the determinant.

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Solution

Computation. AA−1=IAA^{-1}=I, so
det⁡(A)det⁡(A−1)=det⁡(AA−1)=det⁡I=1.\det(A)\det(A^{-1}) = \det(AA^{-1})=\det I = 1.
Since AA is invertible, det⁡A≠0\det A\neq0, so det⁡(A−1)=1/det⁡A\det(A^{-1})=1/\det A.

Conclusion. The determinant of the inverse is the inverse of the determinant.