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One can easily find the determinant of a matrix using recursion, but I was wondering if it is easy to calculate the determinant without using recursion, because recursion is very slow. Or is it too difficult to find the determinant without recursion?

MetallicPriest
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    Recursion isn't notably slower than iteration in a modern programming language. – zwol Jan 24 '14 at 15:47
  • Really? I don't believe so. You would use tons of stack for recursion. It would work for matrices upto certain sizes, but what about a 20x20 matrix? – MetallicPriest Jan 24 '14 at 15:47
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    Yes, the determinant can readily get calculated without recursion with great difficulty. – chux - Reinstate Monica Jan 24 '14 at 15:49
  • Who said you have to copy the matrix every time you recurse? – zwol Jan 24 '14 at 15:51
  • What is up with this downvoting. It is a legit question! – MetallicPriest Jan 24 '14 at 15:52
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    Your question seems to be soliciting a discussion, which isn't what StackOverflow is about. Either that or it could be percieved as a veiled attempt at "plz to be sending teh codez." – John Dibling Jan 24 '14 at 15:55
  • No, its not soliciting discussion. I am just asking if someone knows a more efficient solution for finding matrix determinant than recursion. – MetallicPriest Jan 24 '14 at 15:56
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    I am not really a fan of the duplicate-question mechanism, but if you recast your question as "how do I compute a determinant efficiently" then it has already been answered here: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/2435133/what-is-the-best-matrix-determinant-algorithm and here: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/1886280/how-to-find-determinant-of-large-matrix The good algorithms are based on deep mathematical insights, not just "hey, this naive recursion uses too much stack." – zwol Jan 24 '14 at 15:57

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Recursion can always be transformed into iteration and vice versa

Paul Evans
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