Dodgson condensation Dodgson condensation In mathematics, Dodgson condensation is a method of computing the determinants of square matrices. It is named for its inventor, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (better known as Lewis Carroll). The method in the case of an "n" × "n" matrix is to construct an ("n" − 1) × ("n" − 1) matrix, an ("n" − 2) × ("n" − 2), and so on, finishing with a 1 × 1 matrix, which has one entry, the determinant of the original matrix. This algorithm can be described in the following four steps: One wishes to find We make a matrix of
Skeffington Lutwidge Skeffington Lutwidge Skeffington Lutwidge (13 March 1737 – 15/16 August 1814) was an officer of the Royal Navy, who saw service during the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He had a particular connection with Horatio Nelson, who served under Lutwidge as a midshipman on an expedition to the Arctic in in 1773, and again in 1801 while a captain, when Lutwidge was commander in chief in the Downs. Lutwidge served for a considerable period and in a number of ships, in American waters during the War of Independence. During this time he captured a