MSM 111 - Binomial Expansions PP

MSM 111: MATHEMATICAL METHODS I
BINOMIAL EXPANSION
LECTURE NOTES 8
Mr. L. K. Matindih & Dr. G. Mukupa
DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS, MULUNGUSHI

UNIVERSITY
2022/2023
Mr. L. K. Matindih & Dr. G. Mukupa (MU/SNAS/DMS)
MSM 111-MATHEMATICAL METHODS I 2022/2023 1 / 46
Lecture Notes 8 Outline
1 Binomial Expression
2 Pascal’s Triangle
3 Binomial Theorem
4 The (r + 1)th Term of a Binomial and its Properties

1. Binomial Expression
Definition 1 (Binomial Expression)

A binomial expression is one which contains two terms connected by a plus
or minus sign. Thus
3
(a + b), (a − x )2 , (2x + y )3 , (2x + y )−5 , (2x + y ) 2
are examples of binomial expressions. The general binomial expression is
(a + x )n
where n is either a positive or negative real number.
To expand binomial expression two methods are used, namely, Pascal’s

Triangle and Binomial Theorem. The next sections discusses only each
one of these methods.
2. Pascal’s Triangle
Expanding (a + x )n for integer values of n from 0 to 6 gives the results as

shown in Table below.
(a + b)0 = 1
(a + b)1 = a+b
(a + b)2 = a2 + 2ab + b 2
(a + b)3 = a3 + 3a2 b + 3ab 2 + x 3
(a + b)4 = a4 + 4a3 b + 6a2 b 2 + 4ab 3 + b 4
(a + b)5 = a + 5a4 b + 10a3 b 2 + 10a2 b 3 + 5ab 4 + b 5
5
(a + b)6 = a6 + 6a5 b + 15a4 b 2 + 20a3 b 3 + 15a2 b 4 + 6ab 5 + b 6

Remark 1
From these results the following patterns emerge:
(i) a decreases in power moving from left to right.
(ii) b increases in power moving from left to right.
(iii) The coefficients of each term of the expansions are symmetrical about
the middle coefficient when n is old and symmetrical about the two
middle coefficients when n is even.

The coefficients are shown separately in the Table below:
(a + b)0 = 1
(a + b)1 = 1 1
(a + b)2 = 1 2 1
(a + b)3 = 1 3 3 1
(a + b)4 = 1 4 6 4 1
(a + b)5 = 1 5 10 10 5 1
(a + b)6 = 1 6 15 20 15 6 1
Table:
This arrangement is known as Pascal’s Triangle. A coefficient of a term

may be obtained by adding the two adjacent coefficients immediately
above in the previous row. For example, 1 + 1 = 2, 1 + 3 = 4,
10 + 5 = 15, and so on.

Example 2
Use the Pascal’s triangle method to determine the expansion of
(a + b)7 .
Solution.
From Table 1, the row of Pascal’s triangle corresponding to (a + b)6 is as
shown below.
(a + b)6 = 1 6 15 20 15 6 1
(a + b)7 = 1 7 21 35 35 21 7 1
Adding adjacent coefficients gives the coefficients of (a + b)7 namely 1, 7,

21, 35, 35, 21, 7 and 1 as in Table above.
The first and last terms of the expansion of (a + b)7 are a7 and b 7
respectively.
Solution Contin’d.
The powers of a decrease and the powers of x increase moving from left to
right. Hence
(a + b)7 = a7 + 7a6 b + 21a5 b 2 + 35a4 b 3 + 35a3 b 4 + 21a2 b 5 + 7ab 6 + b 7
The relationship between the powers of a and b in each term of the

expansion is that, there sum is the power of the binomial namely 7.

Example 3
Determine, using Pascal’s triangle method, the expansion of (2p − 3q)5 .
Solution.
Comparing (2p − 3q)5 with (a + x )5 shows that a = 2p and b = −3q.
Using Pascal’s triangle method:
(a + b)5 = a5 + 5a4 x + 10a3 x 2 + 10a2 x 3 + 5ax 4 + x 5
Hence
(2p − 3q)5 = (2p)5 + 5(2p)4 (−3q) + 10(2p)3 (−3q)2 + 10(2p)2 (−3q)3

+ 5(2p)(−3q)4 + (−3q)5
= 32p 5 − 240p 4 q + 720p 3 q 2 − 1080p 2 q 3 + 810pq 4 − 243q 5 .

Example 4
Expand (2x − 1)4
Solution.
The initial coefficients are 1, 4, 6, 4, 1. Here a = 2x , b = −1. Then
(2x − 1)4 = 1(2x )2 + 4(2x )3 (−1) + 6(2x )2 (−1)2 + 4(2x )(−1)3 + 1(−1)4
= 16x 4 − 32x 3 + 24x 2 − 8x + 1.
The coefficients are now quite different. The powers of x are in descending
order.

Example 5
x 6

Find in ascending powers of x the expansion of 2 − 2 .
Solution.
The initial coefficients are 1, 6, 15, 20, 15, 6, 1. The expansion is
6 2 3
x x x x

6 5 4 3
2− = 2 + 6(2) − + 15(2) − + 20(2) −
2 2 2 2
4 5 6
x x x

+ 15(2)2 − + 6(2) − + −
2 2 2
! !
4 2 x42 3 x5 x6
= 64 − 6(4 )x + 15(2 )x − 20x + 15 −6 +
22 24 26
15x 4 3x 5 x 5
= 64 − 96x + 60x 2 − 20x 3 + − + .
4 8 64

3. Binomial Theorem
Pascal’s Triangle is the easier and quicker way of finding coefficients

provided n is not too large. If n is large, negative, a rational or is not
known, then the Binomial Theorem must be used. The theorem is
essential in more advanced work when n may not be a positive integer.

Definition 6
The binomial series or binomial theorem is a formula for raising a
binomial expression to any power without lengthy multiplication. The
general binomial expansion of (a + b)n is given by:
! ! !
n n n−1 nn n−2 2 n n−r r
(a + b) = a + a b+ a b + ... + a b
1 2 r
! !
n n
+ ... + a2 x n−2 + ax n−1 + b n
n−2 n−1
!
n n! n(n−1)(n−2)...(n−r +1)
where = (n−r )!r ! = r! = Crn and
r
r ! = 1 × 2 × 3 × 4 × ... × r

Remark 1
! ! !
n n n n(n−1) n n(n−1)(n−2)
Note that, = 1, = 1×2 , = 1×2×3 and so on.
1 2 2
The r ! which denotes 1 × 2 × 3 × 4 × ... × r is termed “factorial r ". For

example, 2! = 1 × 2, 3! = 1 × 2 × 3, 5! = 1 × 2 × 3 × 4 × 5 etc.
If a = 1 in the binomial expansion of (a + b)n , then
! ! !
n n n 2 n r
(1 + b) = 1 + b+ b + ... + b + ... + b n
1 2 r
n(n − 1) 2 n(n − 1)(n − 2) 3
= 1 + nb + b + b ...
2! 3!
which is valid for −1 < x < 1. When x is small compared with 1 then:
(1 + x )n ≈ 1 + nx (3.1)
There are (n + 1) terms in the expansion of (a + b)n . The coefficients of
the expansion are
! ! ! ! !
n n n n n
1= ... ... =1
0 1 2 r n
Term 1st 2nd 3rd ... (r + 1)th ... (n + 1)th
The first and last coefficients are always 1 when n is a !

positive integer.
n
Note that, the coefficients for the (r + 1)th -term is .
r
Remark 2
Note that, with the Binomial Theorem, n may be a fraction or a decimal
fraction or a positive or negative integer. When n is a positive integer, the
series is finite, i.e., it comes to an end; when n is a negative integer, or a
fraction, the series is infinite.
Example 7
! !
10 10
Evaluate and . Hence, determine the relationship.
3 7
Solution.
!
10 10! 10! 1×2×3×4×5×6×7×8×9×10 8×9×10
Here, = (10−3)!3! = 7!3! = 1×2×3×4×5×6×7×1×2×3 = 1×2×3 = 120
3
!
10 10! 10! 1×2×3×4×5×6×7×8×9×10 8×9×10
and = (10−7)!7! = 3!7! = 1×2×3×1×2×3×4×5×6×7 = 1×2×3 = 120
3
! !
10 10
Hence, = .
3 7

Generally, for any positive integer n,
   


n =  n 
r n−r
   

Example 8
Find the possible value(s) of x for which the following equation involving
binomial coefficients holds:
! !
11 11
=
3x x2 − 7
Solution.
! !
n n
We use the general fact that = . Now from
r n−r
! !
11 11
= , let n = 11 and r = 3x . Then, x 2 − 7 = 11 − 3x =⇒
3x x2 − 7
x 2 + 3x − 18 = 0. Solving the quadratic equation, we obtain
x 2 + 3x − 18 = 0 =⇒ (x + 6)(x − 3) = 0 =⇒ x = −6 or 3.
The equation only holds true for x = 3.

Example 9
Use the binomial theorem to determine the expansion of (2 + x )7 .
Solution.
Here, a = 2, b = x and n = 7. Then,
! ! !
7 10 7−1
7 10 7−2 2 10 7−3 3
(2 + x ) = 2 + 2 x+ 2 x + 2 x
1 2 3
! ! !
10 7−4 4 10 7−5 5 10 7−6 6
+ 2 x + 2 x + 2 x + x7
4 5 6
! ! ! !
7 10 6 10 5 2 10 4 3 10 3 4
=2 + 2 x+ 2 x + 2 x + 2 x
1 2 3 4
! !
10 2 5 10
+ 2 x + 2x 6 + x 7
5 6
= 128 + 448x + 672x 2 + 560x 3 + 280x 4 + 84x 5 + 14x 6 + x 7 .

Example 10
5
1
Expand c − c using the binomial series.
solution.
5
1
Comparing c − c to the standard general binomial (a + b)n , we have
that a = c, b = − c1 and n = 5. Then
5 ! ! 2 ! 3
1 1 1 1

10 4
5 10 3 10 2
c− =c + c − + c − + c −
c 1 c 2 c 3 c
! 4
1 1 5

10
+ c − + −
4 c c
10 5 1
= c 5 − 5c 3 + 10c − + 3− 5
c c c

Example 11
Find the first four term in the expansion of (x − 2)12 .
Solution.
Comparing (x − 2)12 to (a, b)n , a = x , b = −2 and n = 10. The first four
terms of (x − 2)12 are obtained as:
! ! !
12 12 12 11 12 10 12 9
(x − 2) =x + x (−2) + x (−2)2 + x (−2)3
1 2 3
12 11 12 × 11 10 12 × 11 × 10 9)
= x 12 + x (−2) + x (4) + x (−8)
1 1×2 1×2×3
= x 12 − 24x 11 + 264x 10 − 1760x 9 .

Example 12
x 4

(i) Expand 1 − 2 in ascending powers of x .
(ii) If this expansion is used to find the exact value of (0.995)4 , what
value should be taken for x ?
(iii) Use this value, find (0.995)4 .
Solution.
(i) Here, a = 1, b = − x2 and n = 4. Then
4 ! ! 2 ! 3 4
x x x x x

4 4 4
1− =1+ − + − + − + −
2 1 2 2 2 3 2 2
x 2
3 4
x x x

=1+4 − +6 − +4 − + −
2 2 2 2
3x 2 x 3 x 4
= 1 − 2x + − + .
2 2 16

(ii) If the expansion in (i) is used to find the exact value of (0.995)4 , it
implies
x
1− = 0.995 = 1 − 0.005.
2
x
Then 2 = 0.005 and so x = 0.01.
(iii) Substitute x = 0.01 in the expansion.
4
0.01

4
(0.995) = 1 −
2
3(0.01)2 (0.01)3 (0.01)4
= 1 − 2(0.01) + − +
2 2 16
= 1 − 0.02 + 0.00015 − 0.0000005 + 0.000000000625
= 1.000150000625 − 0.0200005
= 0.980149500625.

Example 13
1
(i) Expand (1+2x )3
in ascending powers of x as far as the term in x 3 .,
using the binomial theorem.
(ii) State the limits of x for which the expansion is valid.
Solution.
(i) Here,
1
= (1 + 2x )−3
(1 + 2x )3
Using the binomial expansion of (1 + b)n , where n = −3 and b is
replaced by 2x gives

Solution Continu’d.
1 (−3)(−3 − 1)
= (1 + 2x )−3 = 1 + (−3)(2x ) + (2x )2
(1 + 2x )3 2!
(−3)(−3 − 1)(−3 − 2)
+ (2x )3 + ...
3!
(−3)(−4) (−3)(−4)(−5)
= 1 + (−3)(2x ) + (2x )2 + (2x )3
2! 3!
+ ... = 1 − 6x + 24x 2 − 80x 3 + ...
(ii) The expansion is valid provided | 2x |< 1. That is, −1 < 2x < 1
giving − 12 < x < 12 .

Example 14
1
(i) Expand (4−x )2
in ascending powers of x as far as the term in x 3 ,
(ii) What are the limits of x for which the expansion in (i) is true
Solution.
(i) Here
−2
1 1 1 1 x

2
= 2 = 2 = 1− .
(4 − x ) x
4 1− 4 x
42 1 − 4 16 4

Solution.
Using the expansion of (1 + x )n ,
−2 " 2 #
1 x 1 x (−2)(−3) x

1− = 1 + (−2) − + −
16 4 16 4 2! 4
" 3 #
1 (−2)(−3)(−4) x

+ − + ...
16 3! 4
" #
1 x 3x 2 x 3
= 1+ + + + ...
16 2 16 16
x
(ii) The expansion in (i) is true provided 4 < 1. That is −4 < x < 4.

Example 15
√
Use the binomial theorem to expand 4 + x in ascending powers of x to
four terms. Give the limits of x for which the expansion is valid.
Solution.
Here,
s
√ x

4+x = 4 1+
4
s
√ x

= 4 1+
4
1
x

2
=2 1+ .
4
Using the expansion of (1 + x )n ,

Solution Contn’d.
1
√
x 2
4+x =2 1+
4
 
1 1 1 1 1
1

x 2 2− 1 x 2 2 2 −1 2 − 2 x 3
= 2 1 + + + + ...
2 4 2! 4 3! 4
 
1
− 21 x 2 1
− 21 − −2 x 3

1 x

2 2
= 2 1 + + + + ...
2 4 2! 4 3! 4
" #
x x2 x3
=2 1+ − + + ...
8 128 1024
x x2 x3
=2+ − + + ...
4 164 512
x
The expansion in (i) is valid for 4 < 1. That is −4 < x < 4.

Example 16
1
Expand √ in ascending powers oft as far as the term in t 3 . State
(1−2t)
the limits of t for which the expression is valid.
Solution.
Here, using the expansion for (1 + x )n , we have
1 1
p = (1 − 2t)− 2
(1 − 2t)

1
− 12 − 32
=1+ − (−2t) + (−2t)2
2 2!

− 21 − 32 − 52 3 5
+ (−2t)3 + ... = 1 + t + t 2 + t 3 + ...
3! 2 2
The expansion in is valid for |2t| < 1. That is − 21 < t < 21 .

Example 17
4−5x 3
(i) Expand (x +1)(2−x ) in ascending powers of x as far as the term in x ,
(ii) What are the limits of x for which the expansion in (i) is true
Solution.
4−5x
(i) First express (x +1)(2−x ) as a partial fraction:
4 − 5x A B A(2 − x ) + B(x + 1)
= + =
(x + 1)(2 − x ) 2−x x +1 (x + 1)(2 − x )
and so,
4 − 5x = A(2 − x ) + B(x + 1).

Substitute x = 2, we obatin 4 − 10 = A(0) + B(3) −6 = 3B and so,
B = −2.
Substituting x = −1, we get 4 + 5 = A(3) + B(0) so that 9 = 3A implying
A = 3. Hence,
4 − 5x 3 2
= −
(x + 1)(2 − x ) x +1 2−x
= 3(x + 1)−1 − 2(2 − x )−1 .
The expansion of:
" #
−1 x2 x3
3(x + 1) = 3 1 + (−1)(x ) + (−1)(−2) + (−1)(−2)(−3) + ...
2! 3!
= 3 − 3x 2 + 3x 2 − 3x 3 + ...
and of

x

−1
2(2 − x ) =2 2 1−
2
−1
x

−1
= 2(2) 1−
2
2
x (−1)(−2) − x2

= 1 + (−1) − + +
2 2!
3
(−1)(−2)(−3) − x2
+ + ...
3!
x x2 x3
=1+ + + + ...
2 4 8
Hence,

4 − 5x 3 2
= −
(x + 1)(2 − x ) x +1 2−x
= 3(x + 1)−1 − 2(2 − x )−1
= (3 − 3x 2 + 3x 2 − 3x 3 + ...)
!
x x2 x3
+ 1+ + + + ...
2 4 8
7 11 25
= 2 − x + x 2 − x 3 + ...
2 4 8
3 2
(ii) Note that x +1 is valid for | x |< 1 and 2−x is valid for x2 < 1
implying | x |< 2. Generally, both terms a valid provides | x |< 1.

4. The (r + 1)th Term of a Binomial and its
Properties
In any binomial expansion of (a + b)n , the (r + 1)th term of the expansion

is defined as
!
n n−r r n! n(n − 1)(n − 2)...(n − r + 1) n−r r
a b = an−r b r = a b .
r (n − r )!r ! r!

Example 18
10
1
Find the 5th and 6th terms in the expansion of 2x − 2 .
Solution.
!
n n−r r
Here, a = 2x , b = − 12 and n = 10. In each case, we use a b
r
The 5th implies that r + 1 = 5 so that r = 4. Hence,
! 4
1

th 10
5 term = (2x )10−4 −
4 2
4
10 × 9 × 8 × 7 1

= (2x )6 −
1×2×3×4 2
6
= 840x .

Similarly, the 6th term implies that r + 1 = 6 so that r = 5. Hence,
! 5
1

th 10
6 term = (2x )10−5 −
5 2
5
10 × 9 × 8 × 7 × 6 1

= (2x )5 −
1×2×3×4×5 2
5
= −252x .

Example 19
10
1
Find the middle term of 2p − 2q .
Solution.
In the expansion of (a + x )10 there are 10 + 1 = 11, terms. Hence the
middle term is the sixth term r + 1 = 6 giving r = 5. Using the general
1
expression for the (r + 1)th term where a − 2p, b = − 2q , n = 10 and
r = 5 gives
! 5 5
1 10 × 9 × 8 × 7 × 6 1

10
(2q)10−5 − = (2q)5 −
5 2q 5×4×3×2×1 2q
1

= (252)(32)q 5 −
32)q 5
p5
= −252 5 .
q

Example 20
(i) Write without simplifying, the first three terms in the expansion of
(x + b)n where n is a positive integer.
(ii) If the coefficients of the second and third terms are −8 and 30
respectively, find the values of n and b.
Solution.
(i) Here,
! !
n n−1 n n−2 2
(x + b)n = x n + x b+ x b
1 2
n! n!
= xn + x n−1 b + x n−2 b 2
(n − 1)!1! (n − 2)!2!
n(n − 1)! n−1 n(n − 1)(n − 2)! n−2 2
= xn + x b+ x b
(n − 1)!1! (n − 2)!2!
n(n − 1) 2 n−2
= x n + nbx n−1 + b x
2

Solution.
(ii) Form (i), the second and third terms in the expansion are nb and
n(n−1) 2
2 b respectively. Then
nb = −8 and (4.1)
n(n − 1) 2
b = 30 (4.2)
2
We solve the equations (4.1) and (4.2) for n and b. In (4.2)
substitute b = − n8 ,
64 n−1 60
n(n − 1) = 60 or =
n2 n 64
Then 64n − 64 = 60n, from which we obtain n = 16. Form (4.1),

8 1
b=− =− .
16 2

Example 21
10
1
Find the term independent of x in the expansion of 2x − x .
Solution.
Here, a = 2x , b = − x1 , n = 10 and r =?. From the Binomial theorem, the
(r + 1)th term is
! r ! r
1 1

10 10 10−r 10−r
(2x )10−r − = 2 (x ) (−1)r
r x r x
!
10
= (−1)r 210−r (x )10−r x −r
r
!
10
= (−1)r 210−r (x )10−2r
r
If the term is to be independent of x , then the power of x must be

zero.
That is
10 − 2r = 0
giving r = 5.
So, the 6th term is independent of x . The term is therefore
! !
10 10
(−1)5 210−5 = (−1)5 25
5 5
10 × 9 × 8 × 7 × 6
= × (−32)
1×2×3×4×5
= −8064.

Example 22
20
Determine the term containing x −12 in the expansion of 2x 3 − 1
x
Solution.
Here, a = 2x 3 , b = − x1 , n = 20 and r =?. From the Binomial theorem,
the (r + 1)th gives
! r ! r
1 1

20 10 20−r 3 20−r
(2x 3 )20−r − = 2 (x ) (−1)r
r x r x
!
20
= (−1)r 220−r (x )60−3r x −r
r
!
20
= (−1)r 220−r (x )60−4r
r

If the term is to contain x −12 , the power of x must be −12:
60 − 4r = −12
giving r = 18. So, the term containing of x −12 is:
! !
20 20
(−1)18 220−18 x 60−4(18) = (−1)18 22 x −12
18 18
20 × 19
= × (4)x −12
1×2
= 760x −12

References
[1] Aufmann R. N, , V. C. Barker and R. D. Nation, (2011). College Algebra and

Trigonometry. 7th Edition, Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.
[2] Goodman, A. W. (1969). Analytic Geometry and the Calculus, Second Edition,
Collier-Macmillan.
[3] Spiegal M. R. and Wrede M. (2002). Advance Calculus, Theories and Problems.
Schaum’s Outline Series, Second Edition, McGraw-Hill Companies. Inc, USA.
[4] Lay C. D., (1994). Linear Algebra and its Applications, 4th edition, Boston, MA:
Addison-Wesley.
[5] Lipschutz S. and M. L. Lipson, (2009). Linear Algebra, 4th edition, Schaum’s
outline Series, New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
[6] Spiegel M. R. and R. E. Mayer, (2009). College Algebra, 2nd edition, Schaum’s
outline Series, New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION
THE END OF LECTURE 8


MSM 111 - Binomial Expansions PP

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

MSM 111 - Binomial Expansions PP

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

MSM 111 - Binomial Expansions PP

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

MSM 111: MATHEMATICAL METHODS I

Mr. L. K. Matindih & Dr. G. Mukupa

DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS, MULUNGUSHI

4 The (r + 1)th Term of a Binomial and its Properties

Mr. L. K. Matindih & Dr. G. Mukupa (MU/SNAS/DMS)

Definition 1 (Binomial Expression)

are examples of binomial expressions. The general binomial expression is

where n is either a positive or negative real number.

To expand binomial expression two methods are used, namely, Pascal’s

Expanding (a + x )n for integer values of n from 0 to 6 gives the results as

(a + b)6 = a6 + 6a5 b + 15a4 b 2 + 20a3 b 3 + 15a2 b 4 + 6ab 5 + b 6

Mr. L. K. Matindih & Dr. G. Mukupa (MU/SNAS/DMS)

(i) a decreases in power moving from left to right.

(ii) b increases in power moving from left to right.

Mr. L. K. Matindih & Dr. G. Mukupa (MU/SNAS/DMS)

This arrangement is known as Pascal’s Triangle. A coefficient of a term

Mr. L. K. Matindih & Dr. G. Mukupa (MU/SNAS/DMS)

Adding adjacent coefficients gives the coefficients of (a + b)7 namely 1, 7,

(a + b)7 = a7 + 7a6 b + 21a5 b 2 + 35a4 b 3 + 35a3 b 4 + 21a2 b 5 + 7ab 6 + b 7

The relationship between the powers of a and b in each term of the

Mr. L. K. Matindih & Dr. G. Mukupa (MU/SNAS/DMS)

(a + b)5 = a5 + 5a4 x + 10a3 x 2 + 10a2 x 3 + 5ax 4 + x 5

(2p − 3q)5 = (2p)5 + 5(2p)4 (−3q) + 10(2p)3 (−3q)2 + 10(2p)2 (−3q)3

Mr. L. K. Matindih & Dr. G. Mukupa (MU/SNAS/DMS)

Mr. L. K. Matindih & Dr. G. Mukupa (MU/SNAS/DMS)

Mr. L. K. Matindih & Dr. G. Mukupa (MU/SNAS/DMS)

Pascal’s Triangle is the easier and quicker way of finding coefficients

Mr. L. K. Matindih & Dr. G. Mukupa (MU/SNAS/DMS)

Mr. L. K. Matindih & Dr. G. Mukupa (MU/SNAS/DMS)

The r ! which denotes 1 × 2 × 3 × 4 × ... × r is termed “factorial r ". For

If a = 1 in the binomial expansion of (a + b)n , then

The first and last coefficients are always 1 when n is a !

Mr. L. K. Matindih & Dr. G. Mukupa (MU/SNAS/DMS)

Mr. L. K. Matindih & Dr. G. Mukupa (MU/SNAS/DMS)

The equation only holds true for x = 3.

Mr. L. K. Matindih & Dr. G. Mukupa (MU/SNAS/DMS)

Mr. L. K. Matindih & Dr. G. Mukupa (MU/SNAS/DMS)

Mr. L. K. Matindih & Dr. G. Mukupa (MU/SNAS/DMS)

(iii) Use this value, find (0.995)4 .

Mr. L. K. Matindih & Dr. G. Mukupa (MU/SNAS/DMS)

(iii) Substitute x = 0.01 in the expansion.

Mr. L. K. Matindih & Dr. G. Mukupa (MU/SNAS/DMS)

(ii) State the limits of x for which the expansion is valid.

Mr. L. K. Matindih & Dr. G. Mukupa (MU/SNAS/DMS)

Mr. L. K. Matindih & Dr. G. Mukupa (MU/SNAS/DMS)

Mr. L. K. Matindih & Dr. G. Mukupa (MU/SNAS/DMS)

Mr. L. K. Matindih & Dr. G. Mukupa (MU/SNAS/DMS)

Using the expansion of (1 + x )n ,

Mr. L. K. Matindih & Dr. G. Mukupa (MU/SNAS/DMS)

Mr. L. K. Matindih & Dr. G. Mukupa (MU/SNAS/DMS)

The expansion in is valid for |2t| < 1. That is − 21 < t < 21 .

4 − 5x = A(2 − x ) + B(x + 1).

The expansion of:

Mr. L. K. Matindih & Dr. G. Mukupa (MU/SNAS/DMS)

Mr. L. K. Matindih & Dr. G. Mukupa (MU/SNAS/DMS)

Mr. L. K. Matindih & Dr. G. Mukupa (MU/SNAS/DMS)

In any binomial expansion of (a + b)n , the (r + 1)th term of the expansion

Mr. L. K. Matindih & Dr. G. Mukupa (MU/SNAS/DMS)

The 5th implies that r + 1 = 5 so that r = 4. Hence,