IB HL MATHS (AA)

4. Binomial Theorem

• Factorial Notation
• Calculation of 𝒏𝑪𝒓
• Expansion of (𝒂 + 𝒃)𝒏 , 𝒏 ∈ ℤ$
• Expansion of (𝒂 + 𝒃𝒙)𝒏 , 𝒏 ∈ ℚ

• Those who have done additional math’s to finish the classwork : 6-8 hours
• Those who have not done additional math’s to finish the classwork. : 8-12 hours
Factorial Notation
𝑛! is read as “𝑛 factorial”.
For 𝑛 ≥ 1, 𝑛! is the product of the first 𝑛 positive integers.
𝒏! = 𝒏(𝒏 − 𝟏)(𝒏 − 𝟐) … 𝟑 × 𝟐 × 𝟏
Ex: 𝟓! = 𝟓 × 𝟒 × 𝟑 × 𝟐 × 𝟏
!!!
Notice that 11 × 10 × 9 × 8 can be written using factorial numbers only as #!

An alternative definition is 𝑛! = 𝑛 × (𝑛 − 1)! for 𝑛 ≥ 1.

From above we can say that 1! = 1 × 0!, therefore 0! = 1
Exercise 1
1. Evaluate:
a. 2! b. 3! c. 4! d. 5! e. 6!
2. Express in factorial form:
a. 4 × 3 × 2 × 1 g. 15 × 14 × 13 × 12
!!×!%×&×'
b. 7 × 6 × 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1 h. (×)×*×!

c. 6 × 5 &×'×#
i. )×*×!
d. 8 × 7 × 6
!)×!*×!!×!%
j. (×)×*×!
e. 9 × 8 × 7
!+×!(×!)×!*×!!
k.
f. 10 × 9 × 8 × 7 +×(×)×*×!

3. Simplify:
,! (,0*)! (,0!)!
a. (,.!)!
b. c.
,! (,.!)!

4. Simplify by factorising:
!*!.!!! !%!.&! ,!.(,.!)!
a. !!
d. &!
g. ,.!
!%!0&! 1!0+!.(! (,0*)!0(,0!)!
b. !!
e. (!
h. ,0)
!%!.'! ,!.(,.!)!
c. '&
f. (,.!)!

1
Calculation of 𝒏𝑪𝒓
𝒏!
𝒏
𝑪𝒓 = F𝒏𝒓G = 𝒓!(𝒏.𝒓)!
𝟓! 𝟓×𝟒×𝟑×𝟐×𝟏 𝟓×𝟒
EX: 𝟓𝑪𝟐 = F𝟓𝟐G = 𝟐!𝟑! = (𝟐×𝟏)(𝟑×𝟐×𝟏) = 𝟐×𝟏 = 𝟏𝟎

A shortcut method to expand ,𝐶< is to look at the value of r. The value of r determine the number of terms in
the numerator position and the factorial in the denominator position.

𝟕×𝟔×𝟓 𝟕×𝟔×𝟓
Ex: 𝟕𝑪𝟑 = 𝟑!
= 𝟑×𝟐×𝟏 = 𝟑𝟓

𝒓 = 𝟑, Hence, there are 3 terms in the numerator position starting from 7 divided by 3!. Some useful formulae
are shown below
𝒏 𝒏 𝒏 𝒏
𝑪𝟎 = 𝟏 𝑪𝟏 = 𝒏 𝑪𝒏 = 𝟏 𝑪𝒓 = 𝒏𝑪𝒏.𝒓
Exercise 2
1. Evaluate:
a. F𝟑𝟐G d. F𝟕𝟐G g. F𝟏𝟎
𝟏
G j. F𝟗𝟎G

b. F𝟔𝟒G e. F𝟒𝟏G h. F𝟓𝟎G k. F𝟗𝟗G

c. F𝟓𝟏G f. F𝟕𝟏G i. F𝟓𝟓G

For the binomial expansion of (𝑎 + 𝑏), where 𝑛 ∈ ℤ0 :

(𝒂 + 𝒃)𝒏 = 𝒂𝒏 + F𝒏𝟏G𝒂𝒏.𝟏 𝒃 + F𝒏𝟐G𝒂𝒏.𝟐 𝒃 +.…. +F𝒏𝒓G𝒂𝒏.𝒓 𝒃𝒓 +…..+ 𝒃𝒏
𝒏
𝒏
= ? @ B 𝒂𝒏.𝒓 𝒃𝒓
𝒓
𝒓4𝟎
,!
Where F,<G = <!(,.<)! is the binomial coefficient for 𝑛 ∈ ℤ0 , 𝑟 ∈ ℕ, 𝑟 ≤ 𝑛.

The total number of terms in the expansion is 𝑛 + 1

The general term or (𝒓 + 𝟏)th term in the binomial expansion (𝒂 + 𝒃)𝒏 is 𝑻𝒓0𝟏 = F𝒏𝒓G𝒂𝒏.𝒓 𝒃𝒓

In the event we are finding a specific term from a product of two binomial expressions such as (𝑥 + 2)(𝑥 + 5)+
we must consider the possible combinations of two terms from the two binomial expressions such that the
product of the two terms will results in the terms specified. For example if we want to find the 𝒙𝟒 term, we can
observe that possible combinations are 𝒙 × (𝒙𝟑 term of (𝒙 + 𝟓)𝟓 ) and 𝟐 × (𝒙𝟒 term of (𝒙 + 𝟓)𝟓 ). Hence, we
must find the 𝒙𝟑 and 𝒙𝟒 terms of (𝒙 + 𝟓)𝟓

2
Exercise 3

1. Expand the following binomial expressions.

a. (𝑥 + 𝑦)+ ! (
d. @𝑥 + @B
b. (𝑥 + 2𝑦)( * +
e. @𝑥 * − @B
c. (2𝑥 − 1)+ 𝑥 3 4
f. @3 − 𝑥3 B

2. Find the coefficients of the terms indicated in the expansions of the following expressions:
a. (3𝑥 + 2)( 3rd term d. (10 + 𝑥)+ 3rd term
! + @ A (
b. @𝑥 − @B 4th term e. @A − @ B 2nd term

c. (𝑝 + 4𝑞)1 middle term

3. Find the coefficients of the terms indicated in the expansions of the following expressions:
a. (1 + 2𝑥)( term in 𝑥 * ! +
d. @𝑥 ) − @ ! B term in 𝑥 +
b. (3𝑥 − 5)+ term in 𝑥 ( (
) @!
) 1
.*
e. @@ + )
B term in 𝑥 .!
c. @@ + 2𝑥B term in 𝑥

! !%
4. Find the constant term in the expansion of @𝑥 − *@B .

! !*
5. Find the constant term in the expansion of @3𝑥 − 1@ B .

6. Find:
a. The coefficient of 𝑥 ( in the expansion of (𝑥 + 4)(𝑥 − 3)1
b. The coefficient of 𝑥 1 in the expansion of (2 − 𝑥)(3𝑥 + 1)&
! (
c. The coefficient of 𝑥 in the expansion of (2 + 𝑥) @@ − 2𝑥B

d. The coefficient of 𝑥 ) in the expansion of (𝑥 − 2)* (1 − 2𝑥))

! 1
e. The coefficient of 𝑥 .* in the expansion of (𝑥 + 1)) @@ − 2𝑥B

! ) * (
f. The constant term in the expansion of @𝑥 * + @B @𝑥 − @B

7. If the coefficient of 𝑥 * in the expansion of (1 − 3𝑥), is 90, find 𝑛.

8. In the expansion of (1 + 𝑎𝑥), the first term is 1, the second term is 24𝑥 and the third term is 252𝑥 * .
Find the value of 𝑛.

3
For the binomial expansion of (1 + 𝑏𝑥), where 𝑛 ∈ ℚ

(𝒏)(𝒏.𝟏) (𝒏)(𝒏.𝟏)(𝒏.𝟐)
(𝟏 + 𝒃𝒙)𝒏 = 𝟏 + 𝒏𝒃𝒙 + (𝒃𝒙)𝟐 + (𝒃𝒙)𝟑 + ⋯
B 𝟐! 𝟑!
𝒏
= ? @ B (𝒃𝒙)𝒓
𝒓
𝒓4𝟎
C , C ,
Therefore, for (𝑎 + 𝑏𝑥), we first take out 𝑎 to get 𝑎, @1 + D 𝑥B then expand @1 + D 𝑥B

𝒃 𝒏 𝒃 (𝒏)(𝒏.𝟏) 𝒃 𝟐 (𝒏)(𝒏.𝟏)(𝒏.𝟐) 𝒃 𝟑
𝒂𝒏 @𝟏 + 𝒂 𝒙B = 𝒂𝒏 Y𝟏 + 𝒏 𝒂 𝒙 + 𝟐!
@𝒂 𝒙B + 𝟑!
@𝒂 𝒙B + ⋯ Z
B 𝒓
𝒏 𝒃
= 𝒂𝒏 ? @ B Y 𝒙 Z
𝒓 𝒂
𝒓4𝟎 C@
For (𝑎 + 𝑏𝑥), , the interval of convergence for which the expansion converges is ] D ] < 1, which means
D D
− ]C ] < 𝑥 < ]C].

"
.! ! !
In the events we have a combination of two binomial expressions such as (1 − 2𝑥) @1 + * 𝑥B . The

interval of convergence of the whole expression is the common interval of convergence of each binomial
!
expression. In this case it is |𝑥| < *

Exercise 4

1. For each of the following find

i). find the binomial expansion up to and including the 𝑥 ) term.

ii) state the range if values if 𝑥 for which the expansion is valid.

a) (1 + 𝑥).* e) (1 + 5𝑥).) i) √1 − 3𝑥
" #
b) (1 + 𝑥)! f) (1 − 4𝑥).$ j) (3 + 𝑥).!
" "
!
c) (1 + 𝑥).# g) k) (4 − 𝑥)!
!.*@
" !
h)
! l)
d) (1 − 𝑥) #
(!0@)%
(*.@)#

2. For each of the following:

i) express each term as partial fractions

ii) hence, find the binomial expansion up to and including the 𝑥 * term

iii) state the range of values of 𝑥 for which the expansion is valid.
'@0( .*@ 10#@0+@ !
a) (!.@)(*0@)
b) (*0@)! c) (!0@)(!.@)(*0@)
4
 !0@ *
3. Expand @!.@B up to and including the term in 𝑥 ) .

*
4. Find the first three terms of the binomial expansion of !.@ ! .

5.

a) Find the first four terms of the binomial expansion of √1 − 𝑥

!
b) By letting 𝑥 = ( find an approximate value of √3 correct to 4 decimal places.

6.
#
a) Expand √1 + 3𝑥 , up to and including the term in 𝑥 * .
#
b) By substituting a suitable value of 𝑥, find an approximate value for √11, leaving your
D
answer in the form C where 𝑎 and 𝑏 are integers to be determined.

7.
).+@
a) Find the expansion of % , up to and including the term in 𝑥 * .
√!.(@
*.&+
b) Hence estimate the value of % to 5 decimal places.
√%.&1

5
 Exam Style questions
Binomial Theorem
1. In each of the following expansions, find the indicated term.
a) (1 + 4𝑥)# , 5th term c) (1 − 2𝑥)!% , middle term
b) (1 − 𝑥 * )*% , 8th term d) (1 + 2𝑥 * )' , term in 𝑥 !*

(Total 12 marks)
2. Find the coefficient of 𝑥 ) and of 𝑥 1 in the expansion of
!%
a) (1 − 3𝑥)' @!
c) @1 − (
B
b) (1 + 2𝑥)!*
(Total 9 marks)
3. Find the indicated term in each of the following expansions.
a) (2 + 𝑥)!% , 7th term c) (3𝑥 − 2)& , 4th term
b) (𝑦 − 2𝑥)!% , 5th term ! !*
d) @𝑥 + *@ !B , middle term

(Total 12 marks)
* !%
4. In the expansion of @𝑥 ) + @ ! B , find
a) the term in 𝑥 !% c) the constant term
!
b) the coefficient of @ %
(Total 6 marks)

5. Find the coefficient of x7 in the expansion of (2 + 3x)10, giving your answer as a whole number.

(Total 3 marks)
6
æ 3x ö
6. Find the coefficient of the x3 term in the expansion of ç 2 - ÷ .
è 2 ø

(Total 6 marks)

! # #
7. The coefficient of x in the expansion of @𝑥 + D@ !B is ). Find the possible values of a.

(Total 3 marks)
8
æ 1 ö
8. Find the coefficient of x3 in the binomial expansion of ç1 – x ÷ .
è 2 ø

(Total 6 marks)
4
æ 2ö
9. Expand and simplify ç x 2 - ÷ . (Total 4 marks)
è xø

6
 n
æ xö
10. When ç1 + ÷ , n Î , is expanded in ascending powers of x, the coefficient of x3 is 70.
è 2ø

a) Find the value of n. (5)

b) Hence, find the coefficient of x2. (1)

(Total 6 marks)

11. Express ( 3 -2 )
3
in the form a 3 + b, where 𝑎, 𝑏 ∈ .

(Total 6 marks)

12. Determine the first three terms in the expansion of (1− 2x)5 (1+ x)7 in ascending powers of x.

(Total 5 marks)

13. Obtain the first 4 terms in the expansion of (𝟏 + 𝟐𝒙)𝟗 in ascending powers of 𝒙. Use this
expansion the find an approximate value of (1.02)& .

(Total 6 marks)

14. Find the coefficient of 𝑥 ** in the expansion of (1 − 3𝑥)(1 + 𝑥 ) )!% .

(Total 6 marks)

15.

a) Find the expansion of (2 + x)5, giving your answer in ascending powers of x.

b) By letting x = 0.01 or otherwise, find the exact value of 2.015.

(Total 6 marks)

! +
16. Expand @* − 2𝑥B up to the term in 𝑥 ) . If the coefficient of 𝑥 * in the expansion of
! + !)
(1 + 𝑎𝑥 + 3𝑥 * ) @ − 2𝑥B is , Find the coefficient of 𝑥 )
* *

(Total 6 marks)

17. Given that (1 + x)5 (1 + ax)6 = 1 + bx + 10x2 + ............... + a6 x11,

0
find the values of 𝑎, 𝑏 ∈ .

(Total 4 marks)
)
18. Find the non-zero values of 𝑎 and 𝑏 for which (2𝑥 − 𝑎)) = 8𝑥 ) − 𝑏𝑥 * + * 𝑏𝑥 − 𝑎) .

(Total 6 marks)

7
Non Integer Powers
!
1. 𝑓(𝑥) = |𝑥| < 1
√!.@

Find the binomial expansion of 𝑓(𝑥) in the ascending powers of x, up to and including the term in
𝑥 ) . Give each coefficient as simplified fractions (Total 3 marks)
!
2. 𝑓(𝑥) = |𝑥| < 4
√(0@

Find the binomial expansion of 𝑓(𝑥) in the ascending powers of x, up to and including the term in
𝑥 ) . Give each coefficient as simplified fractions (Total 4 marks)

3. Use binomial theorem to expand √4 − 9𝑥 in ascending powers of 𝑥, up to and including the terms in 𝑥 ) ,
simplify each term and also provide convergence domain for the above expansion. (Total 5 marks)
4.
!
a) Expand in ascending powers of x up to and including the terms of 𝑥 * . Simplify each of the
√(.)@

term and find the values of 𝑥 for which the series converges [5]
@0'
b) Hence or otherwise, find the first three terms in the expansion of as a series in the ascending
√(.)@

powers of x. [4]
(Total 9 marks)
5.
a) Find the first four terms in the expansion, in. the ascending powers of 𝑥, of
!
(1 − 2𝑥).* , |2𝑥| < 1
giving each term in its simplest form. [4]
b) Hence write down the first four terms in the expansion, in the ascending powers of 𝑥, of
"
(100 − 200𝑥).! , |2𝑥| < 1 [2]
(Total 6 marks)
6.
a) Find the binomial theorem
!
√1 − 8𝑥, |𝑥| < ', [4]
to expand , in ascending powers of 𝑥 up to and including the terms in 𝑥 ) , simplifying each term.
! √*)
b) Show that, when 𝑥 = !%%, the exact value of √1 − 8𝑥 is +
. [2 ]

c) Hence obtain an approximation of √23to give your answer to 5 decimal places. [3]

(Total 8 marks)

8
7.
!
a) Expand (1 + 3𝑥).* , |𝑥| < in ascending powers of 𝑥 up to and including the terms in 𝑥 ) ,
)
simplifying each term. [4]
@0(
b) Find the first four terms in the expansion of (!0)@)! as a series in ascending power of 𝑥. [4]
(Total 8 marks)
#
8. The binomial expansion of (1 + 12𝑥) in ascending powers of 𝑥 up to and including the terms in 𝑥 ) is
$

1 + 𝑟𝑥 + 𝑝𝑥 * + 𝑞𝑥 ) , |12𝑥| < 1
a) Find the value of 𝑝, 𝑞 and 𝑟 [4]
b) Use this expansion with your values of 𝑝 and 𝑞 together with an appropriate value of 𝑥 to obtain an
#
estimate of (1.6)$ [2]
c) Hence make a comment on the accuracy of the estimate you obtained in part (b) [2]

(Total 8 marks)

9.
!
a) Given that the coefficient of 𝑥 ) in the expansion of (!0D@)# is −2160, find a. [4]
b) Considering that terms involving 𝑥 ( and higher powers can be disregarded, determine the values of
a, b and c for the equation
! !
(!0D@)#
− (!0D@)$ = 𝑏𝑥 * + 𝑐𝑥 ) [5]
#
c) Given that the expansion of (1 + 𝑎𝑥), is 1 − 2𝑥 + ) 𝑥 * + 𝑘𝑥 ) + ⋯, find the value of k. [4]
(Total 13 marks)
)
10. Expand √1 + 8𝑥 in ascending powers of 𝑥 up to and including the terms in 𝑥 .By giving a suitable value
of x, find an approximation for
a) √108 b) √3

(Total 7 marks)

11.
√!0*@
a) Find the first three terms in the expansion in ascending powers of x of [4]
√!.(@
b) State the values of x for which the expansion is valid [2]

(Total 6 marks)

12.
a) Write down the first four terms of the series expansion in ascending powers of 𝑥 of
"
(1 − 𝑥)# ,simplifying the coefficients. [4]
# !+1(!
b) By giving a suitable value of 𝑥, show that √900 ≈ !1*%
[4]

(Total 8 marks)

9
Binomial Theorem With Partial Fractions
1.

2𝑥 * + 5𝑥 − 10 𝐵 𝑐
=𝐴+ +
(𝑥 − 1)(𝑥 + 2) 𝑥−1 𝑥+2

a) Find the values of A, B and C [4]

*@ ! 0+@.!%
b) Hence, or otherwise, expand (@.!)(@0*) in ascending powers of 𝑥, as far as the term in 𝑥 * . Give

each coefficient as partial fraction. [7]

(Total 11 Marks)

2.
a) Using Partial fraction, split the given rational function

27𝑥 * + 32𝑥 + 16
𝑓(𝑥) = [𝟒]
(3𝑥 + 2)* (1 − 𝑥)

b) Hence or otherwise, find the series expansion of 𝑓(𝑥), in ascending powers of 𝑥, up to and
including the term in 𝑥 ) , simplifying each term [6]
c) Find the percentage error made in using the expansion in part (b), to estimate the value of f(0.2).
Give your answer to 2 significant figures [4]
(Total 14 Marks)
3.
!"#$
a) Split into partial fractions. [3]
($#&")$

b) Hence or otherwise, Find the series expansion of 𝑓(𝑥), in ascending powers of 𝑥, up to and
including the term in 𝑥 ) , simplifying each term. [6]
(Total 9 Marks)
@ ! 0+@
4. 𝑓(𝑥) = (!0@)(!.@)!
( * +
a) Express 𝑓(𝑥) in the form + $#" + ($#")$ where A, B and C are constants [5]
$)"

The expansion of 𝑓(𝑥), in the ascending powers of 𝑥 is 𝑐% + 𝑐! 𝑥 + 𝑐* 𝑥 * + 𝑐) 𝑥 ) + ⋯ + 𝑐< 𝑥 < + ⋯

b) Find 𝑐% , 𝑐!, 𝑐* and show that 𝑐) = 11 [5]

(Total 13 Marks)

10
 Mixed Questions
1. In the expansion of (1 − 2𝑥)!! the coefficient of 𝑥 ) is −𝑘 times the coefficient of 𝑥 * . Evaluate 𝑘.
(Total 6 marks)

2.

a) Write down the quadratic expression 2x2 + x – 3 as the product of two linear factors. (1)

b) Hence, or otherwise, find the coefficient of x in the expansion of (2x2 + x – 3)8. (4)

(Total 5 marks)
)
3. 𝑓(𝑥) = (2 + 3𝑥).) , |𝑥| < *

Find the binomial expansion of 𝑓(𝑥) in the ascending powers of x, up to and including the term in
𝑥 ) . Give each coefficient as simplified fractions (Total 4 marks)

! ,
4. Consider the expansion of @8𝑥 ) − *@B ,where n ∈ ℤ0 . Determine all possible values of n for which the
expansion has a non-zero constant term. [5], (M22/P1/TZ1/Q6)
!
5. Consider the expression − √1 − 𝑥 where 𝑎 ∈ ℚ, 𝑎 ≠ 0.The binomial expansion of this
√!0D@
expression, in ascending powers of x , as far as the term in 𝑥 * is 4𝑏𝑥 + 𝑏𝑥 * , where b ∈ ℚ .
(N21/P1/TZ0/Q9)
a) Find the value of a and the value of b. [6]
b) State the restriction which must be placed on x for this expansion to be valid. [1]

6.

a) Find the ratio of the coefficients of the 4th and the 6th terms in the expansion of (1 + 2𝑥)!1 .

b) The coefficient of 𝑥 * is 69 in the expansion of (1 − 𝑎𝑥)*( , where 𝑎 > 0. Find the coefficient
of 𝑥 ) .

(Total 6 marks)

7.
,)-"
a) Split into partial fractions [4]
(&#")($)")$

(0#@
b) Hence find a polynomial approximation of degree 3 for (*.@)(!0@)! and find the set of 𝑥 values for
which the expansion is valid. [5]

(Total 9 Marks)

@ #
8. Obtain, in ascending powers of 𝑥, the first 4 terms in the expansion of @2 − *B .Hence find the value of
(1.995)# correct to 4 decimal places.

(Total 6 marks)
11
9. Consider the binomial expansion (𝑥 + 1)# = 𝑥 # + 𝑎𝑥 1 + 𝑏𝑥 + + 35𝑥 ( + ⋯ + 1 where x ≠ 0 and 𝑎, 𝑏 ∈ ℤ0 .
(M22/P1/TZ2/Q5)

a) Show that b = 21. [2]

The third term in the expansion is the mean of the second term and the fourth term in the expansion.
b) Find the possible values of x. [5]

10.
"
a) Use the binomial theorem to expand (8 − 3𝑥)# , up to and including the terms in 𝑥 ) , simplifying
each term as simplified fraction. [4]
b) Find the set of x values for which the series converge [1]
𝟑
c) Use you expression, which is suitable value of x, to obtain an approximation to √7.7 . Give your
answers to 7 decimal places. [2]
(Total 8 marks)

11. Consider the expansion of (3 + 𝑥 * ),0! , where n ∈ ℤ0 . Given that the coefficient of 𝑥 ( is 20412, find the
value of n. [5], (M21/P2/TZ1/Q5)

12.

a) Simplify the difference of binomial coefficients

æ n ö æ 2n ö , where n ≥ 3. (4)
çç ÷÷ - çç ÷÷
è 3ø è 2 ø

b) Hence, solve the inequality

æ n ö æ 2n ö
çç ÷÷ - çç ÷÷ > 32n, where n ≥ 3. (2)
è 3ø è 2 ø
(Total 6 marks)
(D@0!)' '
13. Consider the expansion of *!@ !
, where a ≠ 0 . The coefficient of the term in 𝑥 ( is # 𝑎+ . Find the value
of a. [6], (N22/P2/TZ0/Q5)

! '
14. Obtain the binomial expansion of (2 − 𝑥) @1 + * 𝑥B in ascending powers of 𝑥 as far as the term in
𝑥 ) . Use your result to estimate the value 1.9 × (1.05)'

(Total 6 marks)
+ +
15. Show that F1 + √𝑥G − F1 − √𝑥G = 10√𝑥 + 20𝑥√𝑥 + 2𝑥 * √𝑥. Hence deduce the value of
+ +
F1 + √2G − F1 − √2G .

(Total 6 marks)

12
 Answer
Exercise 1
1. &!
i. )!1!
a. 2
!)!
b. 6 j. (!&!
!+!
c. 24 k. +!!%!
d. 120 3.
e. 720 a. 𝑛
2. b. (𝑛 + 2)(𝑛 + 1)
a. 4! c. (𝑛 + 1)𝑛
b. 7! 4.
1!
c. (! a. 11!

d.
'! b. 9!
+!
&! c. 8!
e. 1!
d. 9
!%!
f. 1! e. 34
!+! f. 𝑛 − 1
g. !!!
!!! g. (𝑛 − 1)!
h. (!#!
h. (𝑛 + 1)!

Exercise 2
1. f. 7
a. 3
g. 10
b. 15
h. 1
c. 5
i. 1
d. 21
j. 1
e. 4
k. 1
Exercise 3
1. e. 𝑥 !% − 10𝑥 # + 40𝑥 ( − 80𝑥 + 80𝑥 .* − 32𝑥 .+
+ ( ) * * ) ( +
a. 𝑥 + 5𝑥 𝑦 + 10𝑥 𝑦 + 10𝑥 𝑦 + 5𝑥𝑦 + 𝑦 @$ ( 1 )1 '!
( ) * * ) (
f. − & + @ $ − @ ( + @ "!
b. 𝑥 + 8𝑥 𝑦 + 24𝑥 𝑦 + 32𝑥𝑦 + 16𝑦 '!

c. 32𝑥 + − 80𝑥 ( + 80𝑥 ) − 40𝑥 * + 10𝑥 − 1

( !
d. 𝑥 ( + 4𝑥 * + 6 + @ ! + @ $

13
2. 1)
4. − '
a. 216
*)!
b. −10 5. !1

c. 1280 6.
d. 10000 a. 0
e. −4 b. 91854
3. c. 24
a. 24 d. −86
b. −2025 e. 24
c. 4860 f. 72
d. 10 7. 𝑛=5
e. 36 8. 𝑛 = 8, 𝑎 = 3

Exercise 4
1.
a. i) 1 − 2𝑥 + 3𝑥 * − 4𝑥 ) ii) |𝑥| < 1
! ! !
b. i) 1 + * 𝑥 − ' 𝑥 * + !1 𝑥 ) ii) |𝑥| < 1
! * !(
c. i) 1 − ) 𝑥 + & 𝑥 * − '! 𝑥 ) ii) |𝑥| < 1
! ! +
d. i) 1 − ) 𝑥 − & 𝑥 * − '! 𝑥 ) ii) |𝑥| < 1
!
e. i) 1 − 15𝑥 + 150𝑥 * − 1250𝑥 ) ii) |𝑥| <
+
*! ## !
f. i) 1 + 3𝑥 + *
𝑥* + *
𝑥) ii) |𝑥| <
(
!
g. i) 1 + 2𝑥 + 4𝑥 * + 8𝑥 ) ii) |𝑥| <
*

h. i) 1 − 5𝑥 + 15𝑥 * − 35𝑥 ) ii) |𝑥| < 1

) & *# !
i. i) 1 − * 𝑥 − ' 𝑥 * − !1 𝑥 ) ii) |𝑥| <
)
! ! ! !
j. i) )
− & 𝑥 + *# 𝑥 * − '! 𝑥 ) ii) |𝑥| < 3
! ! !
k. i) 2 − ( 𝑥 − 1( 𝑥 * − +!* 𝑥 ) ii) |𝑥| < 4
! ) ) +
l. i) '
+ !1 𝑥 + !1 𝑥 * + )* 𝑥 ) ii) |𝑥| < 2

2.
( ( #
a. i) !.@
− *0@ ii) 2 + 5𝑥 + * 𝑥 * ii) |𝑥| < 1
.* ( ! !
b. i) *0@
+ (*0@)! ii) − * 𝑥 + * 𝑥* ii) |𝑥| < 2
* ) ( &
c. i) !0@
+ !.@ − *0@ ii) 3 + 2𝑥 + * 𝑥 * ii) |𝑥| < 1

14
 3. 1 + 4𝑥 + 8𝑥 * + 12𝑥 )
4. 2 + 2𝑥 * + 2𝑥 (
! ! !
5. a) 1 − * 𝑥 − ' 𝑥 * − !1 𝑥 ) b) 1.7324
! # #!
6. a) 1 + 𝑥 − 𝑥* b) Let 𝑥 = ', √11 ≈ )*
! # #!
or let 𝑥 = − !! . √11 ≈ )*
7.
!) ((
a. 3 − +
𝑥 + *+ 𝑥 * + ⋯
*.&+
b. 𝑥 = 0.01; % ≈ 2.974 18
√%.&1

Exam Style Questions

Binomial Theorem

1. a. 𝑇+ = 8960𝑥 ( 6. −540
b. 𝑇' = −77520𝑥 !( 7. ±3
c. 𝑇1 = −8064𝑥 + 8. −7
)* !1
d. 𝑇# = 1792𝑥 !* 9. 𝑥 ' − 8𝑥 ) + 24𝑥 * − + @$
@
2. a. coefficient of 𝑥 ) = −1512, 10. a. 16
coefficiente of 𝑥 1 = 20412 b. 30
b. coefficient of 𝑥 ) = 1760,
11. 15√3 − 26
coefficient of 𝑥 1 = 59136
12. 1 − 3𝑥 − 9𝑥 * + ⋯
c. coefficient of 𝑥 ) = 0,
!+
13. (1 + 2𝑥)& = 1 + 18𝑥 + 144𝑥 * + 672𝑥 ) + ⋯
coefficient of 𝑥 1 = − ' (1.02)& ≈ 1.1951
1
3. a. 3360𝑥 14. −360
b. 3360𝑦 1 𝑥 ( 15. a. 32 + 80𝑥 + 80𝑥 * + 40𝑥 ) + 10𝑥 ( + 𝑥 +
c. −489888𝑥 1 b. 32.8080401001
*)! ! ! +@
d. !1@ ) 16. (* − 2𝑥)+ = )* − '
+ 5𝑥 * − 20𝑥 ) + ⋯
4. a. 3360𝑥 !% Coefficient of 𝑥 ) = −
*1+
'
b. 15360
17. 𝑎 = −2, 𝑏 = −7
c. 13440
18. 𝑎 = 3, 𝑏 = 36
5. 2099520

Non Integer Powers

@ ) + ! ) *# (
1. 1 + * + ' 𝑥 * + !1 𝑥 ) + ⋯ 4. a. * + !1 𝑥 + *+1 𝑥 * + ⋯, |𝑥| < )
! ! ) + ))
2. − !1 𝑥 + *+1 𝑥 * − *%(' 𝑥 ) + ⋯ b. 4 + 2𝑥 + )* 𝑥 * + ⋯
*
& '! #*& ( ) +
3. 2 − ( 𝑥 − 1( 𝑥 * − +!* 𝑥 ) + ⋯, |𝑥| < & 5. a. 1 + 𝑥 + 𝑥 * + 𝑥 ) + ⋯
* *
! ! ) !
b. !% + !% 𝑥 + *% 𝑥 + ( 𝑥 ) + ⋯ *

15
6. a. 1 − 4𝑥 − 8𝑥 * − 32𝑥 ) + ⋯ 9. a. 𝑎 = 6
b. Shown through working b. 𝑎 = 4, 𝑏 = 6, 𝑐 = −100
! +1
c. √23 ≈ 4.79584 c. 𝑎 = − 1 , 𝑛 = 6, 𝑘 = − *#
7. a. 1 − 6𝑥 + 27𝑥 * − 108𝑥 ) + ⋯ 10. √1 + 8𝑥 = 1 + 4𝑥 − 8𝑥 % + 32𝑥 & + ⋯
b. 4 − 23𝑥 + 102𝑥 * − 405𝑥 ) + ⋯
a. √108 ≈ 10.39232
*# !)+
8. a. 𝑝 = − * , 𝑞 = *
,𝑟=9 b. √3 ≈ 1.732053
# !+
b. (1.6) ≈ 1.4246875
$ 11. a. 1 + 3𝑥 + *
𝑥* + ⋯
#
!
c. (1.6)$ ≈ 1.422623528, 3 s.f b. |𝑥| < (
! ! +
12. a. 1 − ) 𝑥 − & 𝑥 * − '! 𝑥 ) + ⋯
b. Shown through working

Binomial Theorem With Partial Fractions

) !
1. a. 𝐴 = 2, 𝐵 = −1, 𝐶 = 4 3. a. − *(!.*@) + *(!.*@)!
)
b. 5 + * 𝑥 * + ⋯ b. 1 − 𝑥 + 4𝑥 ) + ⋯
( ) .! .* )
2. a. ()@0*)! + !.@ 4. a. !0@ + !.@ + (!.@)!
)&
b. 4 + 𝑥* b. 𝑐% = 0, 𝑐! = 5, 𝑐* = 6
(

c. 1.11%
Mixed Questions
1. 𝑘 = 6
2. a. (2𝑥 + 3)(𝑥 − 1) 9. a. Shown through working
b. −17496 b. 1 or 5
! * ' '% ! ! +
3. − *# 𝑥 + '! 𝑥 * − #*& 𝑥 ) + ⋯ 10. a. 2 − ( 𝑥 − )* 𝑥 * − #1' 𝑥 ) + ⋯
*#
'
4. 𝑛 = 4𝑘, 𝑘 ∈ ℤ b. |𝑥| < ) c. √7.7 ≈ 1.9746890
5. a. 𝑎 = − !), 𝑏 = !1 11. 𝑛 = 7
! .!+,0')
b. |𝑥| < 1 12. a. ,(, 1
+
6. a. !+1 b. −253 b. 𝑛 > 23
* * !
7. a. *.@ + !0@ − (!0@)! 13. 𝑎 = *#
! ) !#
b. 2 + * 𝑥 − ( 𝑥 * + 𝑥 ) , |𝑥| < 1 14. .2 + 7𝑥 + 10𝑥 * + 7𝑥 ) + ⋯
'
! 1.9(1.05)' ≈ 2.807
8. (2 − ")# = 128 − 224𝑥 + 168𝑥 " − 70𝑥 $ + ⋯,
#
15. (1 + √2)+ − (1 − √2)+ = 58√2
(1.995) ≈ 125.77673

16