Find
det\begin{bmatrix}0&7&5&3\\1&1&2&1\\1&1&2&−1\\1&1&1&2\end{bmatrix}.
We go through the elimination process, keeping a note of all the row swaps and row divisions we perform (if any). In view of part b of Algorithm 6.2.5, we realize that it suffices to reduce A to an upper triangular matrix: There is no need to eliminate entries above the diagonal, or to make the diagonal entries equal to 1.
We have performed two row swaps, so that \det A = (−1)^2(\det B) = 7(−1)(−2) =14. We have used Theorem 6.1.4: The determinant of the triangular matrix B is the product of its diagonal entries.