Why is the determinant of an integer matrix always an integer

determinantlinear algebra

Why is the determinant of an integer matrix always an integer? I am using the definition of the determinant as being the product of the diagonal entries of a matrix in upper triangular form.

Best Answer

The explicit definition of determinant only uses multiplication and addition (and subtraction); it does not use division. When you multiply/add integers, you get, again, integers.

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