pivotal condensation

pivotal condensation

[¦piv·əd·əl ‚kän·dən′sā·shən] (mathematics) A method of evaluating a determinant that is convenient for determinants of large order, especially when digital computers are used, involving a repeated process in which a determinant of order n is reduced to the product of one of its elements raised to a power and a determinant of order n- 1.