BINOMIAL THEOREM

INTRODUCTION

In a surprising number of areas in mathematics, it turns out to be useful to expand

expressions of the form (𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏)𝑛𝑛 , where 𝑛𝑛 is a natural (counting) number. This is known as a
binomial expansion. A binomial expression is one which contains two terms connected by a
plus or minus sign. Therefore, (𝑥𝑥 + 𝑦𝑦), (𝑎𝑎 − 𝑥𝑥𝑥𝑥)2 , (2𝑥𝑥 + 3𝑦𝑦)3 are examples of binomial
expressions. Expanding a binomial is pretty straightforward for small values of 𝑛𝑛, but gets a
bit tedious and time-consuming as 𝑛𝑛 increases. In this section, we will find a formula that will
allow us to find (𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏)𝑛𝑛 without multiplying the binomial by itself 𝑛𝑛 times.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

On completion of this chapter, you will be able to:

 Define a binomial expansion.

 Use Pascal’s triangle to determine the binomial coefficients.
 Apply the binomial theorem to expand expressions of the form (𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏)𝑛𝑛 for positive,
negative and fractional values of 𝑛𝑛.
 Determine the r th term of a binomial expansion.

COMPILED BY T. PAEPAE
1.1 THE BINOMIAL THEOREM

When we expand (𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏)𝑛𝑛 by multiplying, the result is called a binomial expansion, and it
includes binomial coefficients. If we wanted to expand (𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏)64 , we might multiply (𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏)
by itself sixty-four times. However, this could take hours! If we examine some simple
binomial expansions, we can find patterns that will lead us to a shortcut for finding more
complicated binomial expansions. We will look at cases where 𝑛𝑛 is a positive integer, a
negative integer, or even a fraction. We will also discuss different types of problems that are
associated with the binomial theorem.

1.1.1 The Binomial Theorem for a Natural Number Exponent

To find a pattern in the expansion of (𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏)𝑛𝑛 , we first look at some special cases.

(𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏)0 = 1
(𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏)1 = 𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏
(𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏)2 = (𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏)(𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏) = 𝑎𝑎2 + 2𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏 2
(𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏)3 = (𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏)(𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏)2 = 𝑎𝑎3 + 3𝑎𝑎2 𝑏𝑏 + 3𝑎𝑎𝑏𝑏 2 + 𝑏𝑏 3
(𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏)4 = (𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏)(𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏)3 = 𝑎𝑎4 + 4𝑎𝑎3 𝑏𝑏 + 6𝑎𝑎2 𝑏𝑏2 + 4𝑎𝑎𝑏𝑏 3 + 𝑏𝑏 4
(𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏)5 = (𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏)(𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏)4 = 𝑎𝑎5 + 5𝑎𝑎4 𝑏𝑏 + 10𝑎𝑎3 𝑏𝑏2 + 10𝑎𝑎2 𝑏𝑏3 + 5𝑎𝑎𝑏𝑏 4 + 𝑏𝑏 5

Looking at these expansions closely, the following simple patterns emerge:

 The total number of terms in the binomial expansion of (𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏)𝑛𝑛 is (𝑛𝑛 + 1). For example,
in the expansion of (𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏)4, the number of terms is 5.

 The exponent of 𝑎𝑎 in the first term is the same as the exponent as the exponent of the
binomial, and the exponent decreases by 1 in each successive term of the expansion.

 The exponent of 𝑏𝑏 in the first term is zero (as 𝑏𝑏 0 = 1). The exponent of 𝑏𝑏 in the second
term is 1, and it increases by 1 in each successive term until it becomes the exponent of
the binomial in the last term of the expansion.

 The sum of the exponents of 𝑎𝑎 and 𝑏𝑏 in each term is equal to the exponent of the
binomial.

 The coefficients in the expansion follow a certain pattern known as Pascal’s triangle. In
this triangle, row 1 is considered from the expansion of (𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏)1 .

1
 Row 0 : 1
Row 1 : 1 1
Row 2 : 1 2 1
Row 3 : 1 3 3 1
Row 4 : 1 4 6 4 1
Row 5 : 1 5 10 10 5 1

Notice that, (1) the coefficients read the same backwards and forwards, (2) the first and the
last coefficient in each row is 1 , (3) a particular coefficient in any row, other than the first row,
can be obtained by adding the two coefficients in the previous row that appear above and
immediately to the left and the right of the number concerned.

1.1.1.1 The Binomial Coefficients

Although Pascal’s triangle is useful in finding the binomial expansion for reasonably small
values of 𝑛𝑛, it isn’t practical for finding (𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏)𝑛𝑛 for large values of 𝑛𝑛. The reason is that the
method used for finding the successive rows of Pascal’s triangle is recursive. That is, to find
the 100th row of this triangle, we must first find the preceding 99 rows. However, examining
the pattern in the coefficients more carefully, we can develop a formula that allows us to
calculate any coefficient directly in the binomial expansion. Such a formula exists, and
involves factorial notation as stated below.

Let 𝑛𝑛 and 𝑟𝑟 be nonnegative integers such that 0 ≤ 𝑟𝑟 ≤ 𝑛𝑛. The binomial coefficient is
𝑛𝑛
denoted by � � or nCr and is defined by:
𝑟𝑟
n!
n
Cr =
r !( n − r ) !
𝑛𝑛
where � �, which is called “𝑛𝑛 choose 𝑟𝑟”, is the number of different combinations of ordering 𝑟𝑟
𝑟𝑟
objects out of a total of 𝑛𝑛 objects. To understand where this formula comes from, refer to
section 11.5 (Counting Principles) in the recommended textbook (Precalculus - OpenStax).

 Using Factorial Notation

The product of all positive whole numbers from 𝑛𝑛 down to 1 is called ‘n factorial’ and is
denoted by 𝑛𝑛!. Thus, 𝑛𝑛! = 𝑛𝑛(𝑛𝑛 − 1)(𝑛𝑛 − 2). . .3 × 2 × 1.

For example, 8! = 8 × 7 × 6 × 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1 = 40320.

Generally:

 8! = 8 × 7 ! = 8 × 7 × 6 ! (and so on) n != n (n − 1)!= n (n − 1) (n − 2)! (and so on)

2
 7 != 7 × 6! (n + 1) != (n + 1) n ! ⇒ n !=
(n + 1)!
n +1
Therefore:
(n + 1) ! (1 + 1) ! 2 !
1!= n != = = =1
n +1 1+1 2

(n + 1) ! (0 + 1) ! 1!
0!= n != = = =1
n +1 0 +1 1

Example 1.1 Using the Factorial Notation

4 !n !
1. If = k , find the value of 𝑘𝑘.
(n − 1)!3 n

Solution:

4 !n ! 4 × 3 × 2 × 1× n (n − 1)!
=
(n − 1)!3 n (n − 1)!3 n
24n (n − 1)!
=
3 n (n − 1)!
=8

Thus, 𝑘𝑘 = 8

( n − 2) ! 1
2. Solve =
n! 56
Solution:

(n − 2)! 1
=
n (n − 1) (n − 2)! 56
1 1
=
n (n − 1) 56
n (n − 1) = 56
n 2 − n − 56 = 0
(n − 8) (n + 7) = 0

𝑛𝑛 = 8 or 𝑛𝑛 = −7

𝑛𝑛 = −7 is rejected as 𝑛𝑛! is defined for natural numbers only. Thus, 𝑛𝑛 = 8.

3
Example 1.2 Calculating Binomial Coefficients

1. Evaluate the following:

n!
n
Cr = n
C r function on the calculator.
r !( n − r ) !

10  10!
1.1 10
C3 =   = = 120 or CALCULATOR 10 nCr 3 =
 3  3! (10 − 3)!

6 6! CALCULATOR
1.2 6
C 0 =   = =1 or 6 nCr 0 =
 0  0! (6 − 0)!

 30  30! CALCULATOR
1.3 30
C 28 =   = = 435 or 30 nCr 28 =
 28  28! (30 − 28)!

 Finding the Binomial Coefficients

To see the connection between the binomial coefficients and the binomial expansion of
(𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏)𝑛𝑛 , let us relook at our expansion and examine the coefficients.

Where the zeroth row and is included to show the symmetry of the array. Let us now
calculate the following binomial coefficients:

5 5 5 5 5 5

  =1  =5   = 10   = 10  =5   =1
0 1  2  3  4 5

These are precisely the entries in the fifth row of Pascal’s triangle. In fact, we can write
Pascal’s triangle as follows.

4
The last row is what we were looking for. Therefore, we are now ready to state the binomial
theorem. The formulas for binomial coefficients give you an easy way to expand binomials,
as demonstrated below.

1.1.1.2 Using the Binomial Theorem

The patterns above lead us to the binomial theorem, which can be used to expand any
binomial raised strictly to a natural number exponent.

(a + b )n = n C0 a n + n C1 a n−1 b + n C2 a n−2 b 2 + ... + n Cn−1 a b n−1 + n Cn b n

n!
Note that n C 0 = nC n = nC r = = 1 , which explains why the first and last terms in
r ! (n − r ) !
the binomial expansion above are just 𝑎𝑎𝑛𝑛 and 𝑏𝑏 𝑛𝑛 (with seemingly no binomial coefficients).

Example 1.3 Using the Binomial Formula

Write the binomial expansion of ( 2x + y ) .

3
1.

Solution:

In this case, a = 2 x ; b = y and n = 3 . So,

5
 y)
( 2x + = C0 (2 x)3 + 3C1 (2 x) 2 y + 3C2 (2 x) y 2 + 3C3 y 3
3 3

= ( 23 )( x 3 ) + 3 ( 22 )( x 2 ) y + 3 ( 2 ) x y 2 + y 3
=8 x 3 + 12 x 2 y + 6 x y 2 + y 3

Expand ( 3 x − 2 y ) .
4
2.

Solution:

In this case, a = 3 x ; b = −2 y and n = 4 . Thus, the binomial theorem yields,

( 3x − 2 y=
) ( 3x ) + 4C1 ( 3 x ) ( −2 y ) + 4C2 ( 3 x ) ( −2 y ) + 4C3 ( 3 x )( −2 y ) + ( −2 y )
4 4 3 2 2 3 4

= ( 3x ) + 4 ( 3 x ) ( −2 y ) + 6 ( 3 x ) ( −2 y ) + 4 ( 3 x )( −2 y ) + ( −2 y )
4 3 2 2 3 4

Now we again use the fact that ( 3 x ) = 3n x n and (− y ) = (− 1) x n to simplify what we have.
n n n

We get,

( 3x − 2 y=
) ( 3x ) + 4 ( 3 x ) ( −2 y ) + 6 ( 3 x ) ( −2 y ) + 4 ( 3x )( −2 y ) + ( −2 y )
4 4 3 2 2 3 4

= 34 x 4 − 4 × 2 × 33 x 3 y + 6 × (−2) 2 × 32 x 2 y 2 + 4 × 3 × (−2)3 x y 3 + (−2) 4 y 4

=81x 4 − 216 x 3 y + 216 x 2 y 2 − 96 xy 3 + 16 y 4

 3y + 2x 
3
1
3. Expand   fully.
2  3 

Solution:
2x
In this case, a = y ; b = and n = 3 . Thus, the binomial theorem yields,
3

2x  1  3  2x  3  2x  
3 2 3
1  2  2x 
+ = ( ) + ( ) + ( ) +
3
 0  
3 3
 y  C y C 1 y   C 2 y   C3
2  3  2   3   3   3  
1 3  2x   2x  
2 3
2  2x 
= y + 3 y   + 3 y   +   
2   3   3   3  
1 3 4 2 8 3
= y + 2 x y 2
+ x y + x
2  3 27 
1 2 4 3
= y3 + x y 2 + x2 y + x
2 3 27

6
1.1.2 Using the Binomial Theorem to Find a Single Term

In many problems, we require only a particular term. For example, the middle term, the fifth
term or the term independent of 𝑥𝑥 (no 𝑥𝑥 term or the power of 𝑥𝑥 is zero, i.e., 𝑥𝑥 0 ). In these
cases, we make use of the ‘general term’. To answer questions such as these, it is a waste
of time to use the full binomial expansion because we do not need to know all the terms in
the expansion to answer a question about a single one. Hence, we want to get the
expression that would give us only that specific term.

Examining various terms in the binomial expansion;

(a + b )n = n C0 a n + n C1 a n−1 b + n C2 a n−2 b 2 + ... + n Cn−1 a b n−1 + n Cn b n

We observe that:

The first term is n C0 a n , i.e., n C1−1 a n b 0 ;

The second term is n C1 a n −1 b , i.e., n C 2−1 a n −1 b1 ;

The third term is n C2 a n − 2 b 2 , i.e., n C3−1 a n − 2 b 2 ;

and so on.

From the above, we can generalize that:

The (r + 1) term is n C(r +1)−1 a n − r b r , i.e., n C r a n − r b r .

th

If we denote this term by Tr +1 , we have:

Tr +1 = n C r a n −r b r

Tr +1 is generally referred to as the general term of the binomial expansion. We are now
ready to answer questions that deal with single terms in a binomial expansion.

1.1.2.1 The General Term of a Binomial Expansion

As discussed, the general term or (r + 1) th term in the expansion of (a + b ) is given by:

n

n!
Tr +1 = nC r a n −r b r , where n C r = .
r ! (n − r )!

7
Example 1.4 Finding a Particular Term

17
 1 
1. Find the 10 term in the expansion  x + 3  .
th

 x 
Solution:

r + 1 = 10 ⇒ r = 10 − 1 = 9

1
⇒ r = 9 ; n = 17 ; a = x ; b =
x3
9
 1  17 !
T9+1 = 17C9 ( x )
17 −9
 3 where, 17
C9 = = 24310
x  9 !(17 − 9 )!

8 1 
T9+1 = 24310 ( x )  27 
x 

x8
= 24310
x 27

24310
T10 =
x19

9
 x3 2 
2. Without fully expanding  − 2  , determine the 4th term.
 2 x 
Solution:

Tr +1 = nC r a n−r b r

(r + 1)th = 4 th ⇒ r +1 = 4 ⇒ r =3

Tr +1 = nC r a n − r b r

x3 2
r = 3; a = ; b = − 2 and n = 9
2 x

9 −3
 x3 
3
 2  9!
T3+1 = C 3  
9
− 2  where, 9 C 3 = = 84
 2   x  3!(9 − 3)!

8
 6
 x3   2 
3

=T3+1 9
C3    − 2 
 2  x 

 x18   8 
= 84   − 6 
 64   x 

84 × 8 x18
= −
64 x 6

21 12
T4 = − x
2

1.1.2.2 The pth Term from the End of a Binomial Expansion

The 𝑝𝑝𝑡𝑡ℎ term from the end in the expansion of (𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏)𝑛𝑛 is (𝑛𝑛 − 𝑝𝑝 + 2)𝑡𝑡ℎ term from the
beginning.

Example 1.5 Finding a Term from the End of a Binomial Expansion

9
 x3 2 
Find the 4 term from the end in the expansion of 
th
− 2  .
 2 x 
Solution:

Since the 𝑝𝑝𝑡𝑡ℎ term from the end in the expansion of (𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏)𝑛𝑛 is the (𝑛𝑛 − 𝑝𝑝 + 2)𝑡𝑡ℎ term from
the beginning, the 4𝑡𝑡ℎ from the end is (9 − 4 + 2)𝑡𝑡ℎ = 7𝑡𝑡ℎ term from the beginning, which is
given by:
Tr +1 = nC r a n−r b r
r +1 = 7 ⇒ r =6
x3 2
r = 6; a = ; b = − 2 and n = 9
2 x
9−6
 x3 
6
 2  9!
T6+1 = C 6  
9
− 2  where, 9 C 6 = = 84
 2  x  6!(9 − 6)!
3
 x3   2 
6

T6+1 = C 6    − 2 
9

 2  x 
 x9   64  672
= 84    12  ⇒ T7 =
 8  x  x3

9
1.1.2.3 The Middle Term in the Binomial Expansion

Now that we are familiar with the general term of an expansion, let us see how we can
obtain the middle term (or terms) of a binomial expansion. Recall that the number of terms in
a binomial expansion (for natural number exponents) is always one more than the exponent
of the binomial. This implies that if the exponent is even, the number of terms is odd, and if
the exponent is odd, the number of terms is even. Thus, while finding the middle term in a
binomial expansion, we come across two cases:

Case 1: When n is even.

To study such a situation, let us look at a particular value of n , say n = 6 . Then the number
of terms in the expansion will be 7. From the Figure below, you can see that there are three
terms on either side of the fourth term.

n
In general, when the exponent n of the binomial is even, there are terms on either side of
2
th th
n  n 
the  + 1 term. Therefore, the  +1 term is the middle term.
2  2 

Case 2: When n is odd.

Taking n = 7 as an example, the number of terms in the expansion will be 8. Looking at the
Figure below, there are two middle terms since there are an equal number of terms on either
side of the two partitioned terms.

 n +1
th

In general, when the exponent n of the binomial is odd natural number, then the  
 2 

 n +3
th

and the   terms are the two middle terms in the corresponding binomial expansion.
 2 

10
Example 1.6 Finding the Middle Term(s)

1. Find the middle term(s) in the expansion of x 2 + y 2 . ( )

8

Solution:
Since n = 8 (an even number), the expansion has one middle term given by:

n  8
 + 1 = + 1 = 5 .
2  2
th
Therefore the 5 term is the middle term. Hence;
r +1 = 5 ⇒ r = 5 −1 = 4
⇒ r = 4 ; n = 8 ; a = x2 ; b = y2

( ) (y )
T4+1 = 8C 4 x 2
8− 4 2 4
where, 8C 4 =
8!
4!(8 − 4 )!
= 70

( ) (y )
T4+1 = 70 x 2
4 2 8

T5 = 70 x 8 y 8

9
 1
2. Find the middle term(s) in the expansion of  2 x 2 +  .
 x
Solution:
𝑛𝑛+1 𝑡𝑡ℎ 𝑛𝑛+3 𝑡𝑡ℎ
Since n is odd, the two middle terms are: � � = 5𝑡𝑡ℎ and � � = 6𝑡𝑡ℎ terms. Therefore:
2 2

5th term 6 th term

r +1 = 5 r=4 r +1 = 6 r =5
1 1
r = 4 ; n = 9 ; a = 2x 2 ; b = r = 5 ; n = 9 ; a = 2x 2 ; b =
x x
4 5

( )
T4+1 = C 4 2 x
9 2 9− 4 1
  ( )
T5+1 = C5 2 x
9 2 9 −5 1
 
 x  x
4 5

( )
T4+1 =126 2 x 2 5 1
  ( )
T5+1 =126 2 x 2 4 1
 
 x  x
1 1
T4+1 =126 × 32 × x10 × T5+1 =126 × 16 × x 8 ×
x4 x5
T5 = 4032 x 6 T6 = 2016 x 3

11
1.1.2.4 Unknown Coefficients

Example 1.7 Finding the Unknown Coefficients

12
 2 
in the expansion of  x 3 − 2  .
11
1. Find the coefficient of x
 x 

Solution:

11
Let the general term contain x . We then have:

Tr +1 = C r x
12
( )
3 12 − r  2 
− 2 
 x 

(−1) r (2 r )
= 12C r x 36−3r ×
x 2r

= 12C r x 36−3r −2 r (−1) r (2 r )

= 12C r (−1) r (2 r ) x 36−5 r

11
For this to contain x , we observe that:

36 − 5r = 11 ⇒ r =5

11
Thus, the coefficient of x is:

12!
12
C5 (−1) 5 2 5 = − × 32 = −25 344
5!(12 − 5)!

18
 2
Determine whether the expansion of  x 2 − 
10
2. will have a term containing x .
 x

Solution:

10
Let Tr +1 contain x . Then,

−2
r

Tr +1 = 18C r x 2 ( )18− r
 
 x 

= 18C r x 36−2 r (−1) r . 2 r x −r

= (−1) r . 2 r 18C r x 36−3r

12
 26
Thus, 36 − 3r = 10 ⇒ r=
3

∴ Since r is a fraction, the given expansion cannot have a term containing x10 .

10
 x 3
3. Find the term independent of x in the expansion of  + 
 3 2x 2  .
 
Solution:

0
We are looking for the term with no x which, in other words, is the term with x . Let the

(r + 1) th term be independent of x . Then:

10 − r r
 x  3
Tr +1 = C r 
10


 2
 2x 
 3  

10 − r
 x  
(3)2  1
2 r
= 10C r   
3
2r
r
2 x 

 10 − r 
r  10 − r    −2 r
= C r . (3)
10 −  −r  2 
2  2  .2 .x

Since the term is independent of x , we have:

10 − r
− 2r = 0 ⇒ r=2
2

Hence, the 3rd term is independent of x and its value is given by:

T2+1 = 10C 2 . 3−3 . 2 −2 . x 0

1 5
T3 = 45 × =
108 12

13
 1.1.3 The Binomial Theorem for Fractional and Negative Exponents

The binomial expansion of ( a + b ) where n is a positive integer is given by:

n

(a + b )n = n C0 a n + n C1 a n−1 b + n C2 a n−2 b 2 + ... + n Cn−1 a b n−1 + n Cn b n (1)

n!
However, when n is negative or fractional, n C r = has no meaning and we would
r ! (n − r ) !
have to look at it in more detail. In doing so, we notice that:

n! n!
=
n
C0 = = 1
0!( n − 0 ) ! ( n )!

n! n ( n − 1) !
=n
C1 = = n
1!( n − 1) ! 1!( n − 1) !

n! n ( n − 1)( n − 2 ) ! n ( n − 1)
=n
C2 = =
2!( n − 2 ) ! 2!( n − 2 ) ! 2!

n! n ( n − 1)( n − 2 )( n − 3) ! n ( n − 1)( n − 2 )
=n
C3 = =
3!( n − 3) ! 3!( n − 3) ! 3!

The result is a generalised version of equation (1) and is given by:

(𝑛𝑛)(𝑛𝑛−1) (𝑛𝑛)(𝑛𝑛−1)(𝑛𝑛−2)
(𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏)𝑛𝑛 = 𝑎𝑎𝑛𝑛 + 𝑛𝑛𝑎𝑎𝑛𝑛−1 𝑏𝑏 + � � 𝑎𝑎𝑛𝑛−2 𝑏𝑏 2 + � � 𝑎𝑎𝑛𝑛−3 𝑏𝑏 3 + ⋯ (2)
2! 3!

 The expansion is only valid if |𝑎𝑎| > |𝑏𝑏|.

 The series is infinite and therefore we will limit the expansion to the first three or four
terms.

Note: equation (2) is a generalised form of the binomial theorem and therefore can also be
used for expanding binomial expressions raised to natural number exponents.

14
Example 1.8 Using the Binomial Formula

1
Expand to the first four terms.
(3 y + 2x )
3

Solution:

1
(3 y + 2x )
−3
=
(3 y + 2x )
3

(−3)(−4) (−3)(−4)(−5)
= (3 y ) −3 + (−3)(3 y ) −4 (2 x) + (3 y ) −5 ( 2 x ) + (3 y ) −6 ( 2 x )
2 3

2! 3!
1 6x 24 x 2 80 x3
= − + −
(3 y )3 (3 y ) 4 (3 y )5 (3 y )6
1 2x 8x2 80 x3
= − + − ∗ = 27
27 y 3 21 y 4 81 y 5 729 y 6
∗

Example 1.9 Using the Binomial Formula

2
Expand to the first three simplified terms.
√𝑥𝑥−𝑦𝑦

Solution:

2 1
= 2(𝑥𝑥 − 𝑦𝑦)−2
�𝑥𝑥 − 𝑦𝑦

1
𝑎𝑎 = 𝑥𝑥 𝑏𝑏 = −𝑦𝑦 𝑛𝑛 = − 2

1 3
1 1 1 3 �− 2� �− 2� 5
2(𝑥𝑥 − 𝑦𝑦)−2 = 2 �(𝑥𝑥)−2 + �− � (𝑥𝑥)−2 (−𝑦𝑦) + � � (𝑥𝑥)−2 (−𝑦𝑦)2 �
2 2!

1 𝑦𝑦 3𝑦𝑦 2
= 2� + + �
√𝑥𝑥 2 √𝑥𝑥 3 8 √𝑥𝑥 5

2 𝑦𝑦 3𝑦𝑦 2
= + +
√𝑥𝑥 √𝑥𝑥 3 4 √𝑥𝑥 5

15
 ACTIVITY 1

1. Use the binomial theorem to expand each of the following to the first four terms:

1.1 (x 2
− 3y ) 6
[x − 18x y + 135x y − 540 x y ]
12 10 8 2 6 3

1.2 (4a − 5b )4 [256a − 1280a b + 2400a b − 2000ab ]

4 3 2 2 3

 n n n (n − 1) n −2 n −2 2 2 
1.3 (ax + by )n n −1 n −1
a x + na x by + 2! a x b y + ..
 
7
 x  7 x 21x 2 35 x 3 
1.4 1 +  1 + + 2 + 3 
 y  y y y 

a b
5
 a 5 5a 4 b 5a 3b 2 5a 2 b 3 
1.5  +   + + + 
 3 2  243 162 54 36 
4
 1  4 4
x+   x + 4 x + 6 + x 2 
2
1.6
 x
7
 5   354375 
 3x − 2  2187 x − 25515 x + 127575 x − x 2 
7 4
1.7
 x 
5
 x y  x5 x3 x y
1.8  +   5 + 5 3
+ 10 + 10 
 y x y y y x

2. Use the binomial theorem to expand the following to the first three simplified terms:

−3
x 2
 8 48 y 2 192 y 4 
2.1  +y   3− 4 + 
2  x x x5 

3  3 2 9 4
2.2 3 + 2 x + 8 x 
1− x2

 y y2 
2.3 x2 − 2y  x − − 
 x 2x 3 

3 2 4y 4y2 
2.4 3
( x − 2 y) 2  x − 3 − 3 4
 3 x 9 x 

16
3. For a natural number 𝑛𝑛, write the (𝑟𝑟 + 1)𝑡𝑡ℎ term in the expansion of each of the
following, without fully expanding:

3.1 (2 x + y )n [C2 x y ]
n
r
n−r n−r r

3.2 (2a 2
−1) n
[ C 2 a (−1) ]
n
r
n−r 2n−2r r

3.3 (1 − a )n [ C (−1) (a) ]

n
r
r r

[C3 ]
n
 1  n−r
3.4 3 + 2 
n
r x −2 r
 x 

4. Find the specified terms in each of the following expansions:

4.1 (1 + 2 y )8 ; 6 th term [1792 y ] 5

4.2 (2 x + 3)7 ; 4 th term [15120x ] 4

−1  − 27 
4.3 ; 3 rd term  4 5 
x−
3  8 y x 
y2

4.4 (2a − b )11 ; 7 th term [14784a b ] 5 6

6
 1
4.5 x+  ; 4 th term [20]
 x
7
 3 1 
4.6 x − 2  ; 5th term [35 x]
 x 
2 135 3 
4.7 ; 4 th term  8 x 
1 − 3x

5. Find the middle term(s) in the expansion of:

16
1  12870 
5.1  − x  x 4 
x 
5.2 (2 x + y )10 [8064 x y ] 5 5

5.3 (a + b )7 [35a b , 35a b ]

4 3 3 4

8
 2 3 1120 12 
5.4 1 + x   81 x 
 3 

17
 5.5 (2a − b )9 [4032a b5 4
, − 2016a 4 b 5 ]
 − 105 4 3 140 3 4 
7
 3x 4 y 
5.6  −   4 x y , 3 x y 
 4 3 
6
 1
5.7 x+  [20]
 x
11
 1   462 462 
5.8 1 + 2   x 4 , x 7 
 x 

5.9 (1 − x )
2 10
[− 252x ]
10

5.10 (a + b )20 [184756𝑎𝑎10 𝑏𝑏10 ]

1 12
6. Find the term not containing 𝑥𝑥 in the expansion of �2𝑥𝑥 + � . [59136]
𝑥𝑥

7. Find the term containing 𝑥𝑥 9 in the expansion of (𝑥𝑥 + 3)14 . [486486𝑥𝑥 9 ]

8. Find the coefficient of 𝑥𝑥 20 in the expansion of (𝑥𝑥 2 + 2𝑥𝑥)12 . [7920]

2 12
9. Find the term independent of 𝑥𝑥 in the expansion of �𝑥𝑥 2 − � . [126720]
𝑥𝑥

10. Find the term that contains 𝑥𝑥 5 in the expansion of (2𝑥𝑥 + 𝑦𝑦)20. [496128𝑥𝑥 5 𝑦𝑦15 ]

3 7
11. Find the coefficient of 𝑥𝑥 3 in the expansion of �2𝑥𝑥 − � . [6048]
𝑥𝑥

4𝑥𝑥 5 9 10500
12. Find the 4th term from the end in the expansion of � − � . � �
5 2𝑥𝑥 𝑥𝑥 3

18