The Binomial Theorem

(a b)1 a b
(a b)2 a2 2ab b2

(a b)5 a5 5a4b 10a3b2 10a2b3 5ab4 b5

10
Example 2.4.1. Use Pascal’s Triangle to expand the expression (2x — 3y)5.

32x — 240x4y 720x3y2 — 1080x2y3

5

810xy4 — 243y5 2
8
Example 2.4 2. Use Pascal’s Triangle to expand (a b) .

n=6: 1 6 15 20 15 6 1
n=7: 1 7 21 35 35 21 7 1
n=8: 1 8 28 56 70 56 28 8 1

+ 70a4b4 + 56a3b5 + 28a2b6

 .Σ
Let us review the concept of combination. Recall that C(n, k) or n counts the
number of ways of choosing k objects from a set of n objects. It is also kuseful to
know some properties of C(n, k):

✓ ◆
n n!
C(n, k) ,
k k!(n — k)!

✓ ◆ ✓ ◆
5 8
Example 2.4.3. Compute and .
3 5

3 (5 — 3)!3! 2!3!

5 (8 — 5)!5! 3!5!

3 .8Σ
row of Pascal’s Triangle are the same. In the same manner, 5 is equal to the

1.
(a) (x — 2y)4 Answer: x4 — 8x3y 24x2y2 — 32xy3 16y4
 (b) (2a — b2)3 Answer: 8a3 — 12a2b2 6ab4 —b6

Answer: a9 +9a8b+36a7b2 +84a6b3 +126a5b4 +126a4b5 +84a3b6 +36a2b7 +

2.
✓ ◆
5
Answer: 10
2
✓ ◆
9
Answer: 36
7
✓12◆
Answer: 66
10

5
✓ ◆
n n(n —1)
3. Prove: .
2
◆
n n! n(n — 1)(n — 2)! n(n — 1)
2 (n — 2)!2! (n — 2)!2! 2

The Binomial Theorem

{z }
n fa c tors
terms of the form ambi, where 0 m, i n. This term is obtained by choosing a
for m of the factors and b for the rest of the factors. Hence, m i n, or m n
— i. This means that the number of times the term an—ibi will appear in the
expansion of (a b)n equals the number of ways of choosing (n — i) or i
 n
an—ibi.
i

That is, each term in the expansion is obtained by choosing either a or b in each
factor. The term a3 is obtained when a is chosen each time, while a2b is obtained
when a is selected 2 times, or equivalently, b is selected exactly once.

If n and k are positive integers with k n, then

✓ ◆ ✓ ◆
n n
k!(n — k)! (k — 1)!(n — k 1)!
.
n!(n — k 1)+ n!(k)
k!(n — k 1)!
n!(n — k k)
k!(n + 1 — k)!

k!(n + 1 — k)!

k!(n + 1 — k)!

=
k
 a1b0 + a0b1 a b
1

i 0 1

Part 2. Assume that k

ak—ibi.

ak+1—ibi.

k
ak—ibi
i

k
k
X ak—ibi + ak—ibi
i b i
X

k
k
ak—i+1bi
i + i
ak— ibi+1

ak+1b0 ak+1—ibi ak b1 + ak—1b2

0 + k i + 0 1

✓ ◆ ✓
k k—2 3
a b ·· ·
k
k X✓
i—1
i
k ✓ ✓ ◆
k
i ◆Σ
ak+1b0 i —1 ak+1—ibi a0bk+1
0
+ +
 = ak+1—ibi
i

an—ibi
n

Example 2.4 4. Use the Binomial Theorem to expand (x y)6.

x6—kyk
6

0 1 2

3 4 5

expansion has n + 1 terms. The first term in the expansion is n an = an, the
.Σ
, the second to the last term is
1 .Σ
n
nabn—1, and the last term is n bn bn. Σ n—k+1 k—1 n—1
a b . If n is even, there is a

middle term, which is the

. Σ k—1
.n+1 Σ Σ th term. If n is odd, there are two middle
.n+1 n 2 +1
terms, the th and + 1 th terms.
 2 2

k
No .nΣ
the sum of the exponents of a and b is n . The combination k is the coefficient
 . p 20
Example 2.4.5. Find the fifth term in the expansion of 2x y Σ .
—

. Σ
65536x16 y2

⇣x ⌘6
Example 2.4 6. Find the middle term in the expansion of 3y .
2

Σ 3 3
(3y)3 27y3 = 135x y

3 2 8 2
Example 2.4.7. Find the term involving x (with exponent 1) in the expansion
✓
2y ◆8
of

✓ ◆ ◆
8 . 2 2y
x
k x16—
2k · xk
k

1.
 ✓ ◆ ✓ ◆
2Σ5
. 5 5 5
2a — b (2a) (2a)4b2
0 1
 2 3

4 5
32a5 — 80a4b2 80a3b4 — 40a2b6
10ab8 — b10

◆
2 11
2.

✓ ◆ ✓ 32 ◆
11 . 14784x2

5
y

✓ 64 ◆

6
y
◆10
x3 3
3.

✓ ◆✓ 3 ◆10—k ✓ ◆k ✓ ◆✓ 30—3k ◆✓ k ◆
10 x 3 10 x 3
k 2 = k 210—k
x2 x2k
◆
10 3k 30—5k
= x
k 210—k

0 76545
4 x =
2
6 8
?Example 2.4.8. (1) Approximate (0.8)8 by using the first three terms in the expansion
of (1 — 0.2)8. Compare your answer with the calculator value.
 (—0.2)k
X

k= k
0
8

k
2
(—0.2)2

k 0 1 2

4
(—0.2)2

k 1 2
0

3 4

b
n n

k k
0 2 4 100

1 3 5 99

(1)100—k(—1)k.

=
k
k=0
 0 1 2 3

99 100
k
If k is even, then (—1) 1. If k is odd, then (—1)k —1. Hence, we have
0
✓ ◆ ✓ ◆ ✓ ◆ ✓ ◆
100 100 100 100
= — —
0 ✓ 1◆ ✓ 2 ◆ 3
100 100
·· · —
99 100

0 2 4 100

1 3 5 99

(1.9)10 (2 — 0.1)10 ⇡ 210—k(—0.1)k

2

k
2 — 10 · 29 · 0.1+ 45 · 28 · 0.12
10

n
✓ ◆
n

n n k
k
n
Answer: 4 = (1 + 3) = n 1n—k 3k = k=0
k=0 k
3k
1.
(a) (x — 2)5 Answer: x5 — 10x4 40x3 — 80x2 80x — 32
✓ ◆7

21x2 7x 1
y
✓ ◆
14 1 1 1 377
3— Answer: 81 — 3(27) ◆ ◆ —
2 8
2 4

◆ 105x37
1 15
2x

◆ 3247695
3 12
x4
256
✓
p 1 ◆2 53130x10
5
y5
(e) 12155p9
p + ◆18 , middle term
12 1q Answer
✓ ◆ : 128q9

(f) 2 a112 4928

7
81 243 a
a 3

✓1 366080
— 2x
x3 729
(xy — 2y—2)21, term that does not contain y Answer: —14883840x14
p ◆18
(j) x y , term in which the exponents of x and y are equal
y 2 x 43758

x 6y 6
4.
n

5.
6.