This is the easiest topic for students .All you need is practice .It contributes to about 12 marks to the whole syllabus .
Following formulae may be used:-
Properties of determinants :-
The value of a determinant remains unchanged if its rows
and columns are interchanged.
The sign of value of a determinant is changed if its any
two rows or columns are interchanged.
The value of a determinant is zero if its any two rows or
columns are identical.
If a determinant is multiplied by a scalar (number) , its
only one row or column gets multiplied by that constant.
If any two row or column of a determinant are
proportional, its value becomes zero.
If all elements of a row or column are expressed as sum
of two or more elements ,the whole of the determinant
can be expressed in sum of two or more determinants.
If some multiple of one row or column is added or
subtracted to another row or column(elementwise) , 1
its value remains unchanged.
Tips to solve properties based problems:-
If a determinant is of nth order ,we can apply only n-1 propertis at a time to it.
The format of application of properties is :-
Row affected Row affected n (Row used)
Ex.
The format for interchanging Rows or columns :-
You can never multiply a number to Row affected, it is always multiplied to Row used.
First always try to make elements of any one row or column identical
so that you could take out common from that row or column. It
makes all the elements of that Row or column unity(1) and then you
make at the most two elements of that row or columns zero (0).Now
expand that the determinant by that row or column.
Ex-
We shall apply
and
Taking out common b from C1 and C2
Expand by R1
Check the part which is required to prove ,try to take out common the factors which are given in the part.
Ex.
Here the first factor is (a-b) ,we can obtain it by R1 - R2 .Another factor is b-c which we can obtain by R2 - R3
= Show that 
and hence find A-1.
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