OCR FP1 2010 June — Question 9

Exam BoardOCR
ModuleFP1 (Further Pure Mathematics 1)
Year2010
SessionJune
Topic3x3 Matrices

9 The matrix \(\mathbf { A }\) is given by \(\mathbf { A } = \left( \begin{array} { r r r } a & a & - 1
0 & a & 2
1 & 2 & 1 \end{array} \right)\).
  1. Find, in terms of \(a\), the determinant of \(\mathbf { A }\).
  2. Three simultaneous equations are shown below. $$\begin{aligned} a x + a y - z & = - 1
    a y + 2 z & = 2 a
    x + 2 y + z & = 1 \end{aligned}$$ For each of the following values of \(a\), determine whether the equations are consistent or inconsistent. If the equations are consistent, determine whether or not there is a unique solution.
    (a) \(a = 0\)
    (b) \(a = 1\)
    (c) \(a = 2\)