Determinants and taylor expansion

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the differentiation of determinants, specifically the expression for the derivative of the determinant of a matrix A(t) with respect to time t. The formula presented is d/dt det{A(t)} = lim(ε→0) [det(A + ε dA/dt) - det(A)]/ε, which is validated through a Taylor expansion approach. The key insight involves recognizing that as ε approaches zero, the term B(t, ε) converges to A'(t)ε, allowing for a proper justification of the Taylor expansion of the determinant.

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  • Understanding of matrix calculus
  • Familiarity with determinants and their properties
  • Knowledge of Taylor series expansions
  • Basic concepts of limits in calculus
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  • Study the differentiation of determinants in linear algebra
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  • Investigate the implications of the "add zero" trick in proofs
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Mathematicians, students studying advanced calculus, and anyone interested in the applications of determinants in differential equations.

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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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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 ##.
 
Ah yes I see now. The old "add zero" trick. ;)

Thank you!
 

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