if the det of a matrix equals 0 what does this mean? that solutions do not exist (undefined?) however the inverse exists? this stuff i havent learnt so if someone could clarify the meanings of this that would be awesome.
Also, if the inverse exists what does this mean?
A matrix having a determinant of zero means it is a singular matrix; that is it has no inverse.
Furthermore, it means that the system of equations defined by the matrix is linearly dependent. If you don't do spesh, that simply means that (in 2 dimensions) parallel lines are being defined. This is useful to know when you have to find the number of solutions given by a system of equations, because if the determinant is zero you know there are no unique solutions (either there are no solutions, in the case of parallel lines that do not overlap, or they have infinite solutions where the two lines are the same)
For example, the system of equations ax+by=e and cx+dy=f is defined by the following matrix:

If the determinant is equal to zero, this means that ad-bc=0. This means that ad=bc, which means that the two lines are parallel (as it implies a/b = c/d, ie. the ratio of the coefficients of x and y terms is identical).