Find the determinant of order $100$ Find the determinant of order $100$: 
$$D=\begin{vmatrix}
5 &5 &5 &\ldots &5 &5 &-1\\
5 &5 &5 &\ldots &5 &-1 &5\\
5 &5 &5 &\ldots &-1 &5 &5\\
\vdots &\vdots &\vdots &\ddots &\vdots &\vdots &\vdots\\
5 &5 &-1 &\ldots &5 &5 &5\\
5 &-1 &5 &\ldots &5 &5 &5\\
-1 &5 &5 &\ldots &5 &5 &5
\end{vmatrix}$$
I think I should be using recurrence relations here but I'm not entirely sure how that method works. I tried this:
Multiplying the first row by $(-1)$ and adding it to all rows: 
$$D=\begin{vmatrix}
5 &5 &5 &\ldots &5 &5 &-1\\
5 &5 &5 &\ldots &5 &-1 &5\\
5 &5 &5 &\ldots &-1 &5 &5\\
\vdots &\vdots &\vdots &\ddots &\vdots &\vdots &\vdots\\
5 &5 &-1 &\ldots &5 &5 &5\\
5 &-1 &5 &\ldots &5 &5 &5\\
-1 &5 &5 &\ldots &5 &5 &5
\end{vmatrix}=\begin{vmatrix}
5 &5 &5 &\ldots &5 &5 &-1\\
0 &0 &0 &\ldots &0 &-6 &6\\
0 &0 &0 &\ldots &-6 &0 &6\\
\vdots &\vdots &\vdots &\ddots &\vdots &\vdots &\vdots\\
0 &0 &-6 &\ldots &0 &0 &6\\\
0 &-6 &0 &\ldots &0 &0 &6\\
-6 &0 &0 &\ldots &0 &0 &6
\end{vmatrix}$$
Applying Laplace's method to the first column
$$D=5\begin{vmatrix}
0 &0  &\ldots &0 &-6 &6\\
0 &0 &\ldots &-6 &0 &6\\
\vdots &\vdots &\ddots &\vdots &\vdots &\vdots\\
0 &-6 &\ldots &0 &0 &6\\
-6 &0 &\ldots &0 &0 &6
\end{vmatrix}+6\begin{vmatrix}
5 &5 &\ldots &5 &5 &-1\\
0 &0 &\ldots &0 &-6 &6\\
0 &0 &\ldots &-6 &0 &6\\
\vdots &\vdots &\ddots &\vdots &\vdots &\vdots\\
0 &-6 &\ldots &0 &0 &6\\
-6 &0 &\ldots &0 &0 &6
\end{vmatrix}$$
I can see that this one is $D$ but of order $99$...Is this leading anywhere? How would you solve this?

Starting from
$$D=\begin{vmatrix}
5 &5 &5 &\ldots &5 &5 &-1\\
5 &5 &5 &\ldots &5 &-1 &5\\
5 &5 &5 &\ldots &-1 &5 &5\\
\vdots &\vdots &\vdots &\ddots &\vdots &\vdots &\vdots\\
5 &5 &-1 &\ldots &5 &5 &5\\
5 &-1 &5 &\ldots &5 &5 &5\\
-1 &5 &5 &\ldots &5 &5 &5
\end{vmatrix}=\begin{vmatrix}
5 &5 &5 &\ldots &5 &5 &-1\\
0 &0 &0 &\ldots &0 &-6 &6\\
0 &0 &0 &\ldots &-6 &0 &6\\
\vdots &\vdots &\vdots &\ddots &\vdots &\vdots &\vdots\\
0 &0 &-6 &\ldots &0 &0 &6\\\
0 &-6 &0 &\ldots &0 &0 &6\\
-6 &0 &0 &\ldots &0 &0 &6
\end{vmatrix}$$
you can add each column to the last column to obtain
$$ D=\begin{vmatrix}
5 &5 &5 &\ldots &5 &5 &-1+99\times5\\
0 &0 &0 &\ldots &0 &-6 &0\\
0 &0 &0 &\ldots &-6 &0 &0\\
\vdots &\vdots &\vdots &\ddots &\vdots &\vdots &\vdots\\
0 &0 &-6 &\ldots &0 &0 &0\\\
0 &-6 &0 &\ldots &0 &0 &0\\
-6 &0 &0 &\ldots &0 &0 &0 \end{vmatrix}.
$$
Now the matrix is upper-tridiagonal (along the not so conventional diagonal I have to admit). By Leibniz formula (or Laplace along the last column), it can be seen that the determinant is the product of the diagonal elements. This yields
$$D=  (-1+99\times5)(-6)^{99} =-494\times 6^{99}.$$
