Determinants and taylor expansion

In summary, the conversation discusses the proper way to use Taylor expansion to solve for the expression \frac{d}{dt} \det{A(t)} = \lim_{\epsilon \to 0} \frac{\det{(A+\epsilon \frac{dA}{dt})} - \det{A}}{\epsilon}. The participants suggest using the "add zero" trick to simplify the expression and justify the Taylor expansion.
  • #1
dipole
555
151
I'm doing a proof, and near the last step I want to write the expression,

[tex] \frac{d}{dt} \det{A(t)} = \lim_{\epsilon \to 0} \frac{\det{(A+\epsilon \frac{dA}{dt})} - \det{A}}{\epsilon} [/tex]

which produces the right answer, so I believe that it may be correct. This looks very much like a Taylor expansion, but I'm having trouble justifying it exactly - does anyone know the proper way to Taylor expand a determinant, and if the above expression is actually true?
 
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  • #2
What you are really doing is: ## \det A(t + \epsilon) = \det (A(t) + B(t, \epsilon)) ##, where ##B(t, \epsilon) = A(t + \epsilon) - A(t) ##, which is a matrix. Show that as ## \epsilon \to 0 ##, ##B(t, \epsilon) \to A'(t)\epsilon ##.
 
  • #3
Ah yes I see now. The old "add zero" trick. ;)

Thank you!
 

What is a determinant?

A determinant is a value that can be calculated from the elements of a square matrix. It represents the scaling factor of the transformation represented by the matrix.

How is a determinant calculated?

The determinant of a 2x2 matrix can be calculated by taking the product of the elements on the main diagonal and subtracting the product of the elements on the other diagonal. For larger matrices, there are several methods such as cofactor expansion or Gaussian elimination that can be used to calculate the determinant.

What is the importance of determinants in linear algebra?

Determinants play a crucial role in linear algebra as they can be used to determine whether a matrix is invertible, find the solutions to systems of linear equations, and calculate the volume of parallelepipeds in higher dimensions. They also have applications in fields such as physics and economics.

What is a Taylor expansion?

A Taylor expansion is a mathematical series that approximates a function by breaking it down into an infinite sum of terms. It is based on the idea that a function can be represented as a polynomial and is used to calculate the value of a function at a certain point.

How is a Taylor expansion useful?

A Taylor expansion can be used to approximate the value of a function at a point without having to evaluate it directly. It also allows us to analyze the behavior of a function at different points and can be used to find the derivatives of a function at a given point.

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