ABSTRACT
In introductory linear algebra courses, students are told the basic properties of determinants and are given formulas for computing and manipulating determinants. However, such courses rarely provide complete justifications for these properties and formulas. For example, the determinant of a general n×nmatrix A is often defined recursively by Laplace expansion along the first row. We are told that using Laplace expansion along any row or column gives the same answer, but this claim is seldom proved.
