Concerning the 2x2 case: As Mike points out, you can write down an explicit formula for the norm of the matrix {{a,b},{c,d}}. It takes a good while but Mathematica can then compute the volume you're asking for. Integrate[If[a^2 + b^2 + c^2 + d^2 + Sqrt[((b+c)^2 + (a-d)^2) ((b-c)^2 + (a+d)^2)] <= 2, 1, 0], {a, -1, 1}, {b, -1, 1}, {c, -1, 1}, {d, -1, 1}] It's answer is: 2π<sup>2</sup>/3. For comparison: the volume of the Euclidean ball in R<sup>4</sup> is π<sup>2</sup>/2 (which contradicts Mike's final statement).