OCR FP1 2015 June — Question 9

Exam BoardOCR
ModuleFP1 (Further Pure Mathematics 1)
Year2015
SessionJune
Topic3x3 Matrices

9 The matrix \(\mathbf { D }\) is given by \(\mathbf { D } = \left( \begin{array} { l l l } 1 & 3 & 4
2 & a & 3
0 & 1 & a \end{array} \right)\).
  1. Find the values of \(a\) for which \(\mathbf { D }\) is singular.
  2. Three simultaneous equations are shown below. $$\begin{array} { r } x + 3 y + 4 z = 3
    2 x + a y + 3 z = 2
    y + a z = 0 \end{array}$$ For each of the following values of \(a\), determine whether or not there is a unique solution. If a unique solution does not exist, determine whether the equations are consistent or inconsistent.
    (a) \(a = 3\)
    (b) \(a = 1\)