Determinant fun

Algebra Level 4

b c b 2 + b c c 2 + b c a 2 + a c a c c 2 + a c a 2 + a b b 2 + a b a b = 64 \begin{vmatrix} -bc & b^2+bc & c^2+bc \\ a^2+ac & -ac & c^2+ac \\ a^2+ab & b^2+ab & -ab \end{vmatrix} = 64

Find the real value of a b + b c + c a ab+bc+ca .


The answer is 4.

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1 solution

Akshay Yadav
Jun 4, 2017

First we'll simplify the matrix,

b c b 2 + b c c 2 + b c a 2 + a c a c c 2 + a c a 2 + a b b 2 + a b a b = 1 a b c a b c a b 2 + a b c a c 2 + a b c a 2 b + a b c a b c b c 2 + a b c a 2 c + a b c b 2 c + a b c a b c \begin{vmatrix} -bc & b^2+bc & c^2+bc \\ a^2+ac & -ac & c^2+ac \\ a^2+ab & b^2+ab & -ab \end{vmatrix} = \frac{1}{abc} \begin{vmatrix} -abc & ab^2+abc & ac^2+abc \\ a^2b+abc & -abc & bc^2+abc \\ a^2c+abc & b^2c+abc & -abc \end{vmatrix}

= b c a b + a c a c + a b a b + b c a c b c + a b a c + b c b c + a c a b =\begin{vmatrix} -bc & ab+ac & ac+ab \\ ab+bc & -ac & bc+ab \\ ac+bc & bc+ac & -ab \end{vmatrix} then use R 2 R 2 R 1 R_2 \rightarrow R_2-R_1 first and then use R 1 R 1 R 3 R_1 \rightarrow R_1-R_3 and you shoud get,

a b b c c a a b + b c + c a a b + a c 0 a b b c c a a b + b c a b + b c + c a 0 a b = ( a b + b c + c a ) 2 1 1 a b + a c 0 1 a b + b c 1 0 a b \begin{vmatrix} -ab-bc-ca & ab+bc+ca & ab+ac \\ 0 & -ab-bc-ca & ab+bc \\ ab+bc+ca & 0 & -ab \end{vmatrix} = (ab+bc+ca)^2 \begin{vmatrix} -1 & 1 & ab+ac \\ 0 & -1 & ab+bc \\ 1 & 0 & -ab \end{vmatrix}

= ( a b + b c + c a ) 3 = 64 a b + b c + c a = 4 =(ab+bc+ca)^3 =64 \implies ab+bc+ca=4 (considering real solutions only!).

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