NumPy: Compute the determinant of an array

NumPy: Linear Algebra Exercise-11 with Solution

Write a NumPy program to compute the determinant of an array.

From Wikipedia: In linear algebra, the determinant is a value that can be computed from the elements of a square matrix. The determinant of a matrix A is denoted det(A), det A, or |A|. Geometrically, it can be viewed as the scaling factor of the linear transformation described by the matrix.

Sample Solution :

Python Code :

# Import the NumPy library and alias it as 'np'
import numpy as np

# Create a 2x2 NumPy array 'a' containing specific values
a = np.array([[1,2],[3,4]])

# Display the original array 'a'
print("Original array:")
print(a)

# Calculate the determinant of the array 'a' using np.linalg.det() function
result =  np.linalg.det(a)

# Display the determinant of the array 'a'
print("Determinant of the said array:")
print(result) 

Sample Output:

Original array:
[[1 2]
 [3 4]]
Determinant of the said array:
-2.0000000000000004

Explanation:

In the above example –

a = np.array([[1,2],[3,4]]): This statement creates a 2x2 NumPy array a with the specified elements.

result = np.linalg.det(a): This statement computes the determinant of the matrix a. The determinant is a scalar value that can be computed from the elements of a square matrix and has important properties in linear algebra. For a 2x2 matrix [[a, b], [c, d]], the determinant is calculated as ad - bc. In this case, the determinant of a is (1*4) - (2*3) = 4 - 6 = -2.

Python-Numpy Code Editor:

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