Discrete Mathematics - Week 9

1. Find the coefficient of the term x4 y 5 z 3 in the expansion of (3x − 2y + 5z)12 .

(a) −8981280000
(b) 8981280000
(c) 55440
(d) −55440

Correct Answer: (a)

Solution:
To find the coefficient of the term x4 y 5 z 3 in the expansion of (3x − 2y + 5z)12 , we use
the multinomial expansion formula:

X n!
(a1 + a2 + a3 )n = ak11 ak22 ak33
k1 !k2 !k3 !
k1 +k2 +k3 =n

For the given problem:

n = 12, a1 = 3x, a2 = −2y, a3 = 5z, k1 = 4, k2 = 5, k3 = 3

The coefficient of the term x4 y 5 z 3 is:

12!
· (3)4 · (−2)5 · (5)3
4!5!3!
Calculate the factorials and powers:

12! 479001600 479001600

= = = 27720
4!5!3! 24 · 120 · 6 17280

(3)4 = 81, (−2)5 = −32, (5)3 = 125

Now, multiply these values:

27720 · 81 · (−32) · 125

First, multiply 27720 and 81:

27720 · 81 = 2245320

Next, multiply the result by −32:

2245320 · (−32) = −71850240

Finally, multiply by 125:

 −71850240 · 125 = −8981280000

Thus, the coefficient of the term x4 y 5 z 3 in the expansion of (3x − 2y + 5z)12 is

−8981280000.

2. What is the generating function for the generating series 2, 6, 12, 20, . . .?

2x
(a) (1−x)2
2x+1
(b) (1−x)3
2x+1
(c) (1−x)2
2x
(d) (1−x)3

Correct Answer: (b)

Solution:
2x
The basic generating function is (1−x) 2 . If we differentiate term by term in the power
2 3 ′
series, we get (2x+4x +6x +. . .) = 2+6x+12x2 +20x3 +. . . which is the generating
series for 2, 6, 12, 20, . . ..
Lecture 366: Generating function examples Part 2

3. What is the closed-form expression of the generating function for the sequence:
1, −2, 3, −4, 5, −6, . . .?

1
(a) (1−x)2
1
(b) (1+x)2
1−x
(c) (1+x)2
x
(d) (1+x)2

Correct Answer: (b)

Solution:
The sequence 1, −2, 3, −4, 5, −6, . . . is an alternating sign sequence with increasing
absolute values.
1
The generating function for this sequence is (1+x)2
, which can be derived by expanding
using the binomial theorem:

1
= 1 − 2x + 3x2 − 4x3 + . . .
(1 + x)2
1
∴ the generating function for the sequence 1, −2, 3, −4, 5, −6, . . . is (1+x)2
.

4. What is the sequence in the generating series for the expression 5x2 + 10x3 + 15x4 +
20x5 + . . .?

(a) 5, 10, 15, 20 . . .

 (b) 5, 10, 15, 20 . . .
(c) 0, 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 . . .
(d) 0, 5, 0, 10, 0, 15, 0, 20 . . .

Correct Answer: (c)

Solution: Consider the coefficients of each xn term. So a0 = 0, since the coefficient
of a0 is 0 (a0 is the constant term). a1 = 0, since the coefficient of a1 is 0, Since 5
is the coefficient of x2 , so, 5 is the term a2 of the sequence, and so on, Therefore,
a0 = 0, a1 = 0, a2 = 5, a3 = 10, a4 = 15, and a5 = 20. So, we have the sequence
0, 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, . . .
Lecture 369: Binomial expansion explained.

5. How many 5-lettered words can be formed from the following letter blocks, given that
you must pick one block of letters per line?

Ka P T
e r o
Sa Ram

(a) 6
(b) 9
(c) 12
(d) 18

Correct Answer: (b)

Solution:
For the letter blocks in the first row, we represent them by (x · x) + x + x, since the
block ”Ka” consists of 2 letters (hence x · x), and ”P” and ”T” are single letters.
For the letter blocks in the second row, we represent them by x + x + x, since ”e,”
”r,” and ”o” are all single letters.
For the letter blocks in the third row, we represent them by (x · x) + (x · x · x), since
”Sa” consists of 2 letters and ”Ram” consists of 3 letters.
Multiplying the above expressions:

((x2 ) + x + x) · (x + x + x) · (x2 + x3 )
(x2 + 2x) · (3x) · (x2 + x3 )
3x · (x2 + 2x) · (x2 + x3 ) = 3x · (x4 + x5 + 2x3 + 2x4 )
3x · (x5 + 3x4 + 2x3 ) = 3x6 + 9x5 + 6x4

Therefore, the coefficient of x5 denotes the number of 5-lettered words that can be
formed from the given sequence, which is 9.
Lecture 360: Words and the polynomials Explained.
6. In how many ways can 120 players be allocated to 4 different teams such that each
team has at least 8 players and no more than 10 players?

(a) The coefficient of x120 in (x8 + x9 + x10 )4

(b) The coefficient of x120 in (x8 + x9 + x10 )5
(c) The coefficient of x120 in (x8 + x9 + x10 )6
(d) The coefficient of x120 in (x8 + x9 + x10 )3

Correct Answer: (a)

Solution: To determine the number of ways to allocate 120 players to 4 teams with
each team having at least 8 players and at most 10 players, consider the generating
function approach.
Each team must have between 8 and 10 players. Therefore, the generating function
for one team is (x8 + x9 + x10 ). Since there are 4 teams, we need to find the coefficient
of x120 in the expansion of (x8 + x9 + x10 )4 .
The generating function (x8 + x9 + x10 )4 represents the distribution of 120 players
into 4 teams where each team gets between 8 and 10 players. To find the number
of such distributions, we need to extract the coefficient of x120 from this polynomial
expansion.
Therefore, the coefficient of x120 in (x8 + x9 + x10 )4 gives us the desired count of ways
to distribute the players.
Hence, the correct answer is option (a).
Lecture 373: Generating function Problem 2.

7. In a game, there are several baskets of different colors: red, orange, green, and blue.
In how many ways can Arjun choose 8 balls to place into these red, orange, green,
and blue baskets?

(a) 120
(b) 165
(c) 300
(d) 350

Correct Answer: (b)

Solution: We have four different colored baskets, and Arjun needs to place a total of
8 balls into these baskets. We can model this as finding the number of non-negative
integer solutions to the equation:

B1 + B2 + B3 + B4 = 8

where B1 , B2 , B3 , and B4 represent the number of balls placed into the red, orange,
green, and blue baskets, respectively.
The number of solutions to this equation is given by the combinatorial formula:
  
n+r−1
r

where n is the number of different baskets (4 in this case), and r is the total number
of balls (8 in this case).
Substituting the values, we get:
     
4+8−1 11 11
= = = 165
8 8 3

Therefore, Arjun can place the 8 balls into the four different colored baskets in 165
ways.
Lecture 370: Picking 7 Balls The naive way.

8. Which of the following generating functions corresponds to the sequence:

             
6 6 6 6 6 6 6
, , , , , , , 0, 0, . . .
0 1 2 3 4 5 6

1
(a) 1−x
1
(b) 1−6x
(c) (1 + x)6
(d) (1 + x)7

Correct Answer: (c)

n n n n n






Solution: The generating function for the sequence 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 ,..., n , 0, 0, . . .
is given by (1 + x)n .
For n = 6, the generating function is (1 + x)6 , which generates the sequence:
             
6 6 6 6 6 6 6
, , , , , , , 0, 0, . . .
0 1 2 3 4 5 6

Therefore, the correct answer is (1 + x)6 .

Lecture 369: Binomial expansion Explained

9. Find the closed form expression of the generating function for the sequence:

1, 13, 169, 2197, 28561, . . .

1
(a) 1−x
1
(b) 1−13x
13
(c) 1−x
1
(d) 1−13x
 Correct Answer: (d)
Solution: The given sequence is 1, 13, 169, 2197, 28561, . . .. Observing the sequence, it
appears that each term is 13n , where n is the index of the term, starting from n = 0.
Therefore, the n-th term of the sequence is 13n .
The generating function for the sequence a0 , a1 , a2 , a3 , . . . is given by:

1
1 − ax
where a is the base of the exponentials. Substituting a = 13, we get:

1
1 − 13x
This expression generates the series:

1 + 13x + 132 x2 + 133 x3 + . . .

Therefore, the generating function for the sequence 1, 13, 169, 2197, 28561, . . . is:

1
1 − 13x
Lecture 366: Generating function examples Part 2.

10. Find the generating function for the sequence 1, 3, 3, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0 . . .?

1
(a) 1+x
1
(b) (1+x)2

(c) (1 + x)2
(d) (1 + x)3

Correct Answer: (d)

Solution: The generating function is G(x) = 1 + 3x + 3x2 + 1 and of course, the
binomial theorem enables us to simplify the answer as G(x) = (1 + x)3 .
Lecture 369: Binomial expansion Explained