Problem

Source: Romanian IMO Team Selection Test TST 1987, problem 1

Tags: linear algebra, matrix, absolute value, linear algebra unsolved



Let $a,b,c$ be distinct real numbers such that $a+b+c>0$. Let $M$ be the set of $3\times 3$ matrices with the property that each line and each column contain all given numbers $a,b,c$. Find $\{\max \{ \det A \mid A \in M \}$ and the number of matrices which realise the maximum value. Mircea Becheanu