《高等代数学》（姚慕生），例1.5.7

题目

  求下列行列式的值：
$$F_n=\left|\begin{array}{cccccc}\lambda & 0& 0& \cdots & 0& a_n\\ -1& \lambda & 0& \cdots & 0& a_{n-1}\\ 0& -1& \lambda & \cdots & 0& a_{n-2}\\ ⋮& ⋮& ⋮& & ⋮& ⋮\\ 0& 0& 0& \cdots & \lambda & a_2\\ 0& 0& 0& \cdots & -1& \lambda +a_1\end{array}\right|.$$

法一：按第1行展开

$$\begin{array}{rl}& F_n=\left|\begin{array}{cccccc}\lambda & 0& 0& \cdots & 0& a_n\\ -1& \lambda & 0& \cdots & 0& a_{n-1}\\ 0& -1& \lambda & \cdots & 0& a_{n-2}\\ ⋮& ⋮& ⋮& & ⋮& ⋮\\ 0& 0& 0& \cdots & \lambda & a_2\\ 0& 0& 0& \cdots & -1& \lambda +a_1\end{array}\right|\\ & \underset{=}{\overset{按r_1展开}{\to }}\lambda \times {\left(-1\right)}^{1+1}\times \left|\begin{array}{cccccc}\lambda & 0& 0& \cdots & 0& a_{n-1}\\ -1& \lambda & 0& \cdots & 0& a_{n-2}\\ 0& -1& \lambda & \cdots & 0& a_{n-3}\\ ⋮& ⋮& ⋮& & ⋮& ⋮\\ 0& 0& 0& \cdots & \lambda & a_2\\ 0& 0& 0& \cdots & -1& \lambda +a_1\end{array}\right|+a_n\times {\left(-1\right)}^{1+n}\times \left|\begin{array}{ccccc}-1& \lambda & & & \\ & -1& \lambda & & \\ & & -1& \ddots & \\ & & & \ddots & \lambda \\ & & & & -1\end{array}\right|\\ & \stackrel{后面的行列式是上三角形式}{=}\lambda F_{n-1}+a_n\times {\left(-1\right)}^{n+1}\times {\left(-1\right)}^{n-1},\end{array}$$
即得递推式
$$F_n=\lambda F_{n-1}+a_n,n\ge 2.\text{\hspace{1em}(*)}$$
重复应用该递推式，最终可得
$$\begin{array}{rl}& F_n=\lambda \left(\cdots \left(\lambda \left(\lambda F_1+a_2\right)+a_3\right)\cdots \right)+a_n\\ & ={\lambda }^{n-1}{F}_1+{\lambda }^{n-2}{a}_2+{\lambda }^{n-3}{a}_3+\cdots +\lambda a_{n-1}+a_n.\end{array}$$
当$n\ge 2$时，$F_n$的形式是确定的，没有争议的。而当$n=1$时，$F_1$可视为$\lambda$或者$\lambda +a_1$（二者都是言之有理的），于是最终有
$$F_n=\{\begin{array}{rl}& {\lambda }^n+\sum _{j=2}^n{\lambda }^{n-j}{a}_j,F_1=\lambda ,\\ & {\lambda }^n+\sum _{j=1}^n{\lambda }^{n-j}{a}_j,F_1=\lambda +a_1.\end{array}\text{\hspace{1em}(1)}$$

法二：按第1列展开

$$\begin{array}{rl}& F_n=\left|\begin{array}{cccccc}\lambda & 0& 0& \cdots & 0& a_n\\ -1& \lambda & 0& \cdots & 0& a_{n-1}\\ 0& -1& \lambda & \cdots & 0& a_{n-2}\\ ⋮& ⋮& ⋮& & ⋮& ⋮\\ 0& 0& 0& \cdots & \lambda & a_2\\ 0& 0& 0& \cdots & -1& \lambda +a_1\end{array}\right|\\ & \underset{=}{\overset{按c_1展开}{\to }}\lambda \times {\left(-1\right)}^{1+1}\times \left|\begin{array}{cccccc}\lambda & 0& 0& \cdots & 0& a_{n-1}\\ -1& \lambda & 0& \cdots & 0& a_{n-2}\\ 0& -1& \lambda & \cdots & 0& a_{n-3}\\ ⋮& ⋮& ⋮& & ⋮& ⋮\\ 0& 0& 0& \cdots & \lambda & a_2\\ 0& 0& 0& \cdots & -1& \lambda +a_1\end{array}\right|+\left(-1\right)\times {\left(-1\right)}^{2+1}\times \left|\begin{array}{cccccc}& & & & & a_n\\ -1& \lambda & & & & a_{n-2}\\ & -1& \lambda & & & a_{n-3}\\ & & -1& \ddots & & ⋮\\ & & & \ddots & \lambda & a_2\\ & & & & -1& \lambda +a_1\end{array}\right|\\ & \stackrel{后一个行列式按r_1展开}{=}\lambda F_{n-1}+a_n\times {\left(-1\right)}^{1+n}\times \left|\begin{array}{ccccc}-1& \lambda & & & \\ & -1& \lambda & & \\ & & -1& \ddots & \\ & & & \ddots & \lambda \\ & & & & -1\end{array}\right|\\ & \stackrel{后一个行列式是上三角形式}{=}\lambda F_{n-1}+a_n\times {\left(-1\right)}^{n+1}\times {\left(-1\right)}^{n-1},\end{array}$$
即有
$$F_n=\lambda F_{n-1}+a_n,n\ge 2.$$
结果同法一中的式$\left(\ast \right)$。之后的分析过程同法一。

法三：按最后一行展开

$$\begin{array}{rl}& F_n=\left|\begin{array}{cccccc}\lambda & 0& 0& \cdots & 0& a_n\\ -1& \lambda & 0& \cdots & 0& a_{n-1}\\ 0& -1& \lambda & \cdots & 0& a_{n-2}\\ ⋮& ⋮& ⋮& & ⋮& ⋮\\ 0& 0& 0& \cdots & \lambda & a_2\\ 0& 0& 0& \cdots & -1& \lambda +a_1\end{array}\right|\underset{=}{\overset{c_{n-1}\to c_n}{\to }}\left|\begin{array}{cccccc}\lambda & 0& 0& \cdots & 0& a_n\\ -1& \lambda & 0& \cdots & 0& a_{n-1}\\ 0& -1& \lambda & \cdots & 0& a_{n-2}\\ ⋮& ⋮& ⋮& & ⋮& ⋮\\ 0& 0& 0& \cdots & \lambda & \lambda +a_2\\ 0& 0& 0& \cdots & -1& \lambda +a_1-1\end{array}\right|\\ & \underset{=}{\overset{按r_n展开}{\to }}\left(-1\right)\times {\left(-1\right)}^{n+\left(n-1\right)}\times \left|\begin{array}{cccccc}\lambda & 0& 0& \cdots & 0& a_n\\ -1& \lambda & 0& \cdots & 0& a_{n-1}\\ 0& -1& \lambda & \cdots & 0& a_{n-2}\\ ⋮& ⋮& ⋮& & ⋮& ⋮\\ 0& 0& 0& \cdots & \lambda & a_3\\ 0& 0& 0& \cdots & -1& \lambda +a_2\end{array}\right|\\ & +\left(\lambda +a_1-1\right)\times {\left(-1\right)}^{n+n}\times \left|\begin{array}{ccccc}\lambda & & & & \\ -1& \lambda & & & \\ & -1& \lambda & & \\ & & \ddots & \ddots & \\ & & & -1& \lambda \end{array}\right|\\ & \underset{=}{\overset{后一个行列式是下三角形式}{\to }}\left|\begin{array}{cccccc}\lambda & 0& 0& \cdots & 0& a_n\\ -1& \lambda & 0& \cdots & 0& a_{n-1}\\ 0& -1& \lambda & \cdots & 0& a_{n-2}\\ ⋮& ⋮& ⋮& & ⋮& ⋮\\ 0& 0& 0& \cdots & \lambda & a_3\\ 0& 0& 0& \cdots & -1& \lambda +a_2\end{array}\right|+{\lambda }^{n-1}\left(\lambda +a_1-1\right),\end{array}\text{\hspace{1em}(**)}$$
记
$$G_m:=\left|\begin{array}{cccccc}\lambda & 0& 0& \cdots & 0& a_n\\ -1& \lambda & 0& \cdots & 0& a_{n-1}\\ 0& -1& \lambda & \cdots & 0& a_{n-2}\\ ⋮& ⋮& ⋮& & ⋮& ⋮\\ 0& 0& 0& \cdots & \lambda & a_{m+1}\\ 0& 0& 0& \cdots & -1& \lambda +a_m\end{array}\right|,1\le m\le n.$$
则有$F_n=G_1$。此时式$\left(\ast \ast \right)$等价于
$$G_1=G_2+{\lambda }^{n-1}\left(\lambda +a_1-1\right).$$
同理可得
$$\begin{array}{c}{G}_2=G_3+{\lambda }^{n-2}\left(\lambda +a_2-1\right),\\ G_3=G_4+{\lambda }^{n-3}\left(\lambda +a_3-1\right),\\ ⋮\\ G_m=G_{m+1}+{\lambda }^{n-m}\left(\lambda +a_m-1\right),\\ ⋮\\ G_{n-1}=G_n+\lambda \left(\lambda +a_{n-1}-1\right).\end{array}$$
于是我们有
$$\begin{array}{rl}& F_n=G_1=G_n+\sum _{j=1}^{n-1}{\lambda }^{n-j}\left(\lambda +a_j-1\right)\\ & =G_n+\sum _{j=1}^{n-1}{\lambda }^{n-j}{a}_j+\sum _{j=1}^{n-1}{\lambda }^{n-j}\left(\lambda -1\right)\\ & =G_n+\sum _{j=1}^{n-1}{\lambda }^{n-j}{a}_j+\left({\lambda }^n-{\lambda }^{n-1}+{\lambda }^{n-1}-{\lambda }^{n-2}+\cdots +{\lambda }^2-\lambda \right)\\ & =G_n+\sum _{j=1}^{n-1}{\lambda }^{n-j}{a}_j+\left({\lambda }^n-\lambda \right)\\ & =\{\begin{array}{rl}& {\lambda }^n+\sum _{j=1}^n{\lambda }^{n-j}{a}_j,G_n=\lambda +a_n,\\ & {\lambda }^n+\sum _{j=1}^{n-1}{\lambda }^{n-j}{a}_j,G_n=\lambda .\end{array}\end{array}\text{\hspace{1em}(2)}$$

注记

  比较法一中的结果：式（1），和法三中的结果：式（2），发现当法一中的$F_1$取$\lambda +a_1$，且法三中的$G_n$取$\lambda +a_n$时结果是一致的。这也说明了将$F_1$视为$\lambda +a_1$是比较恰当的。