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Homework Statement
Let A be an n x n matrix and [itex]\alpha[/itex] a scalar. Show that [itex]det(\alpha A) = \alpha^{n}det(A)[/itex]
Homework Equations
[itex] det(A) = a_{11}A_{11} + a_{12}A_{12} + \cdots + a_{1n}A_{1n} [/itex]
where [itex] A_{ij} = (-1)^{i+j}det(M_{ij}) [/itex]
The Attempt at a Solution
[itex] det(A) = a_{11}A_{11} + a_{12}A_{12} + \cdots + a_{1n}A_{1n} [/itex]
[itex] det(\alpha A) = \alpha a_{11}A^{\alpha}_{11} + \alpha a_{12}A^{\alpha}_{12} + \cdots + \alpha a_{1n}A^{\alpha}_{1n} [/itex]
[itex] det(\alpha A) = \alpha (a_{11}A^{\alpha}_{11} + a_{12}A^{\alpha}_{12} + \cdots + a_{1n}A^{\alpha}_{1n}) [/itex]
I can see that as I go through and calculate the cofactors I will continue to get an additional alpha coefficient each time, so that I will end up with [itex]det(\alpha A) = \alpha^{n}det(A)[/itex], but I am having trouble formalizing it. Thank you in advance for any help.