Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2019 / ia / Paper 1 / 7B / a / Solution

ChooseThe Leibniz formula for determinants shows that its leading term is $(-z{)}^n$, as required. A scalar $\lambda$ is an eigenvalue exactly when $A-\lambda I$ has a nonzero kernel, equivalently when it is singular, soThe fundamental theorem of algebra gives a complex root of the degree-$n$ polynomial ${\chi }_A$, so every nonempty complex square matrix has at least one complex eigenvalue.