Cramer’s Rule
Applying Determinants to solve
Systems of Equations
2x2 & 3x3
Cramer's Rule
Gabriel Cramer was a Swiss mathematician (1704-
1752)
Introduction
Cramer’s Rule is a method for solving linear
simultaneous equations. It makes use of
determinants and so a knowledge of these is
necessary before proceeding.
Cramer’s Rule relies on determinants
Coefficient Matrices
You can use determinants to solve a system of
linear equations.
You use the coefficient matrix of the linear
system.
Linear System Coeff Matrix
ax+by=e a b
cx+dy=f c d
2x2 Determinants
a b
det A
c d
Det A = ad – cb
Cramer’s Rule for 2x2
2 x 3 y 12
Part 1
x 2 y 9
1. Extract Coefficients
2 3
1 2
2. Calculate Determinant of Original Matrix
22 1 3 4 3 1
Cramer’s Rule for 2x2
Part 2 (Solving for x)
3. Replace the 1st column of the coefficient matrix
with the constant matrix.
2 3 12 3
1 2 9 2
4. Calculate the determinant of new matrix &
divide by original determinant.
51
122 9 3 x 51
1
Cramer’s Rule for 2x2
Part 3 (Solving for y)
5. Replace the 2nd column of the coefficient matrix
with the constant matrix.
2 3 2 12
1 2 1 9
6. Calculate the determinant of new matrix &
divide by original determinant.
29 112 y 30
30
1
Cramer’s Rule for 2x2
Part 4
7. To check x and y, substitute 51 in for x and 30
in for y.
251 330 12
51 230 9
Ex #4 Solve
2 0
Part 1: 2
1 1
16 0 2 16
Part 2: 16 0 16 Part 3: y = 4
6 1 1 6
16 4
x 8 y 2
2 2
3x3 Determinants
a b c a b
det A d e f d e
g h i g h
Downward : Upward :
aei bfg cdh gec hfa idb
Cramer’s Rule for 3x3
Part 1
1. Extract coefficients.
2 1 2 2 1
2 0 1 2 0
1 3 4 1 3
2. Calculate Original Determinant (OD) of Matrix
Cramer’s Rule for 3x3
Part 2 (Solving for x)
3. Replace the 1st column of the coefficient matrix
with the constant matrix.
7 1 2 7 1
5 0 1 5 0
10 3 4 10 3
4. Calculate the determinant of new matrix &
divide by original determinant (15). 39
40 1 39 x 2.6
15
Cramer’s Rule for 3x3
Part 3 (Solving for y)
5. Replace the 2nd column of the coefficient matrix
with the constant matrix.
2 7 2 2 7
2 5 1 2 5
1 10 4 1 10
6. Calculate the determinant of new matrix &
divide by original determinant (15). 33
y 2.2
15
Cramer’s Rule for 3x3
Part 4 (Solving for z)
7. Replace the 3rd column of the coefficient matrix
with the constant matrix.
2 1 7 2 1
2 0 5 2 0
1 3 10 1 3
8. Calculate the determinant of new matrix &
divide by original determinant (15).
3
z 0.2
15
Cramer’s Rule for 3x3
Part 5
9. To check x and y, substitute 2.6 in for x, 2.2 in
for y, and 0.2 in for z.
Example 2
Solve the system : 3x - 2y + z = 9
x + 2y - 2z = -5
x + y - 4z = -2
9 2 1 3 9 1
5 2 2 1 5 2
2 1 4 23 1 2 4 69
x 1 y 3
3 2 1 23 3 2 1 23
1 2 2 1 2 2
1 1 4 1 1 4
Example 2
3 2 9
1 2 5
1 1 2 0
z 0
3 2 1 23 The solution is
1 2 2
1 1 4 (1, -3, 0)
Cramer’s Rule
Not all systems have a definite solution. If the
determinant of the coefficient matrix is zero, a
solution cannot be found using Cramer’s Rule
because of division by zero.
When the solution cannot be determined, one of
two conditions exists:
The planes graphed by each equation are parallel
and there are no solutions.
The three planes share one line (like three pages of
a book share the same spine) or represent the same
plane, in which case there are infinite solutions.