"cofactor expansion method" and "row reduction method" ?

[Seimuna]

What is the relative merits of computing determinants between "cofactor expansion method" and "row reduction method" ?

 

[DrMike]

What is the relative merits of computing determinants between "cofactor expansion method" and "row reduction method" ?

Is this a homework question, or you need to know for your work?

Think about it this way :

If it's on a computer,

Which method is easier to program? How many calculations (additions, subtractions, etc) are needed in each case, for n=1? n=2? n=3,4,5? large n?

 

[royhaas]

I don't know if there is a simple and clear answer to the question. In the "old days", if I had to compute an inverse matrix by hand, I would use row reduction.