BINOMIAL THEOREM

SYNOPSIS
1. If n is a positive integer then (x + a)
n
=
=
n
0 r
r
n
C x
n r
d =
n
C
0
x
n
+
n
C
1
x
n 1
a +
n
C
2
x
n 2
a
2
+
.. +
n
C
n
a
n
.
a) The number of terms in the expansion (x + a)
n
is n + 1.
b) The sum of the power of x and a in any term in the expansion of (x + a)
n
is n.
c) The general term in the expansion of (x + a)
n
is T
r + 1
=
n
C
r
x
n r
a
r
.
2.
n
C
0
,
n
C
1
,
n
C
2
, .
n
C
n
are binomial coefficients in the expansion of (x + a)
n
.
The binomial coefficient which are equi-distant from the beginning and from the
ending are equal. i.e.
n
C
0
=
n
C
n
,
n
C
l
=
n
C
n 1
;
n
C
2
=
n
C
n 2
etc.
3. In the expansion of (x + a)
n
, r
th
term from the end is equal to (n r + 2)
th
terms from
the beginning.
4. If n is a +ve integer, then (1+x)
n
= 1 +
n n n n
r
r n
c x c x c x c x x
1 2
2
3
3
+ + + + + + . ... .. ... . . ... .. .
5. If C
r
stands for
n
r
c ,
( )
1
0 1 2
2
+ = + + + + x c c x c x c x
n
n
n
...... .
6. In
( )
1
1
+ =
+
x T c x
n
r
n
r
r
, .
7. If ( )
q p
m np
r then , x contains bx ax in T
m
n
q p
1 r

= +
+
.
8. ( )
If T bx then r
np
p q
r
q
n
+
+ =

1
is the independent term in the expansion of ax
p
, .
9. If n is even, the middle term in the expansion of (x+a)
n
is
n
th
+

2
2
term.
10. If n is odd, the middle terms in the expansion of (x+a)
n
are
n n
th th
+

1
2
3
2
& terms.
11. Determination of numerically greatest term in the expansion of
( )
1+x
n
. Consider
( )
n x
x
+
+
1
1
| |
| |
= q (say)
12. If q is a positive integer, q
th
, (q+1)
th
terms in the expansion are the numerically
greatest terms in the expansion (1+x)
n
.
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13. q is not a positive integer [ ] { } q
th
+1 term is the numerically greatest term in the
expansion of (1+x)
n
.
14. i) Numerically greatest term in (a + x)
n
= |a|
n
numerically greatest term in
1+

x
a
n
.
ii) If k
th
term is numerically greatest term in (1+x)
n
then x belongs to the integral

+ +

+

+

k 1 n
k
,
k 2 n
1 k
U
k 2 n
) 1 k (
,
k 1 n
k

15. If 0< F < 1, ( ) 6 35 +
n
= I + F, n, I Z
+
, then
i) I is an odd integer ii) (I + F) (1 - F) = 1
16. i) The expansion of ( ) a a a
r
n
1 2
+ + + .. ... ... ... .. contains
( ) n r
n
c
+ 1
terms.
ii) General term =
r 2 1
p
r
p
2
p
1
r 2 1
a .... a a
! p !.... p ! p
! n
where p
1
+ p
2
+ .....+ p
r
= n.

Standard results on Binomial coefficients

17. The sum of the coefficients in the expansion (1+x)
n
is obtained by putting x = 1.
18. c c c c
n 0 1 2
, , , ...... are called the binomial coefficients in the expansion of (1+x)
n
.
19. c c c c
n
n
0 1 2
2 + + + + = .. .. .. .. .
20. c c c c
0 1 2 3
0 + = .................
21. c c c
n
0 2
1
2 + + + =

. ... ... .... ..
22. c c c
1 3 5
+ + +....................= 2
n-1

23. ( )
1 n 1 n
n
2
3 2 1
x 1 n x nc ........ x c 3 x c 2 c

+ = + + + +
24. c c c n c n
n
n
1 2 3
1
2 3 2 + + + + =

. . ... .. ... . . .
25. c c c c
1 2 3
2 3 0 + + = . . . ........
26. a) ( ) ( ) ( )
a c a d c a d c a nd c
n
. . . .. ... .. .. . .
0 1 2
2 + + + + + + + =
( )
( )
coefficient of c coefficient of c a nd
n
n n
0
1 1
2 2 2 + = +


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(b) ( ) ( ) ( )
a c a d c a d c a d c . . . . ............
0 1 2 3
2 3 0 + + + + + =
27. c c c c
n
n
0 2 6
2
2

+ + = ...... cos
!

.
28.
4
n
sin 2 ....... c c c c
2 / n
7 5 3 1

= + + .
29. c c c
n
n
n
0 "
2
2
1
2 2

+ + + = +

.......... cos

.
30.
( )
1 n
1 x 1
1 n
x
c ........
3
x
c
2
x
c x c
1 n 1 n
n
3
2
2
1 0
+
+
=
+
+ + + +
+ +
.
31. c
c c c
n n
n
n
0
1 2
1
2 3 1
2 1
1
+ + + +
+
=

+
+
....................
32.
1 n
1
.........
4
c
3
c
2
c
c
3 2 1
0
+
= + +
33. c
c c
n
n
0
2
3 5
2
1
+ + + =
+
.......
34.
c c c
n
n
1 3 5
2 6
2 1
1
+ + + =

+
...............
35.
( ) ( )
c c c c c c c c c
n
n r n r
r r r n r n
n
n r 0 1 1 2 2
2
2
+ + + + = =
+
+ +
..............
#
# #

36.
( ) c
c
c
c
c
c
n c
c
n n
n
n
1
0
2
1
3
2 1
2 3 1
2
+ + + + =
+

. .
.........
.

37.
( )
c c c c c
n
n
n
n
n 0
2
1
2
2
2 2
2
2
2
+ + + + = = ................
#
#

38. If n is odd, c c c c
0
2
1
2
2
2
3
2
0 + + = . ..... ..... ... ..... .
39. If n is even, c c c c
0
2
1
2
2
2
3
2
+ + = .. .. .. .. ... ..
( )
1
2
2
n
n
n
c
!
!

40. ( ) ( ) ( )
a c a d c a d c a nd c
n
. . . ... .. .. ... .
0
2
1
2
2
2 2
2 + + + + + + + =
( ) ( )
( )
2
2
2
2
a nd n
n
+
.
#
#
.
41. If (x) = a
0
+ a
1
x + a
2
x
2
...... + a
n
x
n
, then
1.a
0
+ a
1
+ a
2
+ ............+a
n
= sum of all the coefficients = (1)
2.
( ) ( )
2
1 f 1 f
.. .......... a a a
4 2 0
+
= + + + [ sum of coefficients of even powers of x ]
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3.
( ) ( )
2
1 f 1 f
.. .......... a a a
5 3 1

= + + + [ sum of coefficients of odd powers of x ]
4. r a
r
r
n
.
=

0
= f
1
(1)
42.Sum of the products of c
0
, c
1
, c
2
, ............c
n
taken two at a time is 2
2n-1
-
( )
( )
2
2
2
n
n
#
#
.
43. Sum of the products of 1, 2, 3, .............n taken two at a time is
( )( )
24
2 n n 3 1 n n
2
+

44. S
n
=

= =
+ =
n
m r
n
m r
) r n m ( f ) r ( f


Binomial theorem for rational index

If n is not a positive integer and 1 < x < 1 or |x| < 1 then
45. (1 + x)
n
= 1 + nx +
2!
1) n(n
x
2
+
3!
) 2 1)(n n(n
x
3
+ .. +
r!
1) r 2).....(n 1)(n n(n +
x
r
+
.. .
46. (1 x)
n
= 1 + nx +
2!
1) n(n +
x
2
+
3!
2) 1)(n n(n + +
x
3
+ .. +
r!
1) r 2).....(n 1)(n n(n + + +
x
r

+ .. .
= 1 +
n
C
1
x +
(n + 1)
C
2
x
2
+ .. +
(n + r 1)
C
r
x
r
+ ..
47. (1 x)
1
= 1 + x + x
2
+ x
3
+ .. + x
r
+ .. +
48. (1 + x)
1
= 1 x + x
2
x
3
+ .. + (1)
r
x
r
+ . +
49. (1 x)
2
= 1 + 2x + 3x
2
+ 4x
3
+ 5x
4
.. + (r + 1)x
r
+ .
50. (1 + x)
2
= 1 2x + 3x
2
4x
3
+ .. + (1)
r
(r + 1)x
r
+ .
51. (1 x)
3
=
2 . 1
1
[1.2 + 2.3x + 3.4x
2
.. + (r + 1)(r + 2)x
r
+ ..].
52. (1 + x)
3
=
2 . 1
1
[1.2 2.3x + 3.4x
2
.. + (1)
r
(r + 1) (r + 2)x
r
+ .. ].
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53.
q
p
x) (1

= 1 +
! 1
p

q
x
+
! 2
) ( q p p +
2

q
x
+
! 3
) 2 )( ( q p q p p + +
3

q
x
+ .. +

!
) ) 1 ( ).....( 2 )( (
r
q r p q p q p p + + +
r
q
x

+ .
54.
q
p
x

+ ) 1 ( = 1
! 1
p

q
x
+
! 2
) ( q p p +
2

q
x

! 3
) 2 )( ( q p q p p + +
3

q
x
+ ..
+(1)
r
r
q
x

!
) ) 1 ( ).....( 2 )( (
r
q r p q p q p p + + +
+ .


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