INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE

Mathematics: analysis and approaches

MAA

EXERCISES [MAA 1.6]

BINOMIAL THEOREM
Compiled by Christos Nikolaidis

O. Practice questions

1. [Maximum mark: 9] [without GDC]

Write down the expansions of
(a) (1  x) 3 [3]
(b) (1  x) 4 [3]
(c) (1  x) 5 [3]

2. [Maximum mark: 9] [with GDC]

Write down the first four terms in ascending powers of x
(a) in the expansion of (1  x)10 [3]
(b) in the expansion of (1  2 x)10 [3]
(c) in the expansion of (2  x)10 [3]

3. [Maximum mark: 5] [with GDC]

Find the term in x 7 in the expansion of (1  x)10

4. [Maximum mark: 5] [with GDC]

Find the term in x 16 in the expansion of (1  x 2 )10

5. [Maximum mark: 10] [with GDC]

3 4
 1  1
(a) Expand (i) x   (ii) x   [5]
 x  x
10
 1
(b) In the expansion of  x  
 x
(i) find the constant term
(ii) find the term in x 2
(iii) find the term in x 2 . [5]

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6*. [Maximum mark: 10] [with GDC]

(a) Expand (2 x  1) 4
[2]
Hence, find
(b) the term in x 2 in the expansion of x(2 x  1) 4 [2]
(c) the term in x in the expansion of ( x  1)( 2 x  1)
2 4
[3]
(d) the term in x in the expansion of (3  x )(2 x  1) .
2 2 4
[3]

7. [Maximum mark: 6] [without GDC]

(a) Show that
8 8 8
(i)    8 , (ii)    28 , (iii)    56 [3]
7
  6
   5
(b) Find
10  10  10 
(i)   , (ii)   , (iii)   [3]
9 8 7

8*. [Maximum mark: 8] [without GDC]

(a) Show that
n n n n(n  1)
(i)    1 , (ii)    n , (iii)    [5]
0
  1   2
  2

 n
(b) Simplify   [3]
3  

9*. [Maximum mark: 9] [with GDC]

12
 2
In the expansion of  3x   find
 x
(a) the constant term; [3]
4
(b) the coefficient of x ; [3]
(c) the first three terms in descending powers of x . [3]

10*. [Maximum mark: 9] [with GDC]

12
 2
In the expansion of  3x 2   find
 x
(a) the constant term; [3]
(b) the coefficient of x 6 ; [3]
(c) the first three terms in descending powers of x . [3]

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 [MAA 1.6] BINOMIAL THEOREM

11*. [Maximum mark: 9] [with GDC]

12
 2
In the expansion of  3x 3   find
 x
(a) the constant term; [3]
(b) the coefficient of x 4 ; [3]
(c) the first three terms in descending powers of x . [3]

A. Exam style questions (SHORT)

12. [Maximum mark: 4] [without GDC]

Express  3 2  3
in the form a 2  b 3 , where a, b  Z .

13. [Maximum mark: 4] [without GDC]

Express  3 2  4
in the form a  b 6 , where a, b  Z .

14. [Maximum mark: 6] [without GDC]

Express  3
3  2 in the form a 3  b , where a, b  Z .

15. [Maximum mark: 6] [with / without GDC]

Given that 3   7 3
= p + q 7 where p and q are integers, find
(a) p; (b) q.

16. [Maximum mark: 6] [without GDC]

4
 1
(a) Expand  e   in terms of e. [4]
 e
4 4
 1  1
(b) Express  e   +  e   as the sum of three terms. [2]
 e  e

17. [Maximum mark: 6] [with / without GDC]

Complete the following expansion.
(2 + ax)4 = 16 + 32ax + …

18. [Maximum mark: 4] [with GDC]

Use the binomial theorem to complete this expansion.
(3x +2y)4 = 81x4 + 216x3 y +...

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19. [Maximum mark: 8] [without GDC]

7  200 
Find (i)   (ii)  
 3  2 

20. [Maximum mark: 8] [without GDC]

 5  5  6
(a) Verify that         [3]
 2   3  3 
19  19   20 
(b) Prove that         [5]
 9  10   10 

21. [Maximum mark: 4] [with / without GDC]

Find the coefficient of a5b7 in the expansion of (a + b)12.

22. [Maximum mark: 4] [with / without GDC]

Find the coefficient of a b in the expansion of (5a + b)7.
3 4

23. [Maximum mark: 6] [without GDC]

10 
The fifth term in the expansion of the binomial (a + b)n is given by   p 6 ( 2q ) 4 .
4
(a) Write down the value of n. [1]
(b) Write down a and b, in terms of p and/or q. [2]
(c) Write down an expression for the sixth term in the expansion. [3]

24. [Maximum mark: 5] [with GDC]

Find the coefficient of x 7 in the expansion of (2  3 x)10 , giving your answer as a whole
number.

25. [Maximum mark: 5] [with / without GDC]

Consider the expansion of (x + 2)11.
(a) Write down the number of terms in this expansion. [1]
[b) Find the term containing x2. [4]

26. [Maximum mark: 6] [with / without GDC]

Find the coefficient of x3 in the expansion of (2 – x)5.

27. [Maximum mark: 4] [with GDC]

Find the coefficient of x5 in the expansion of (3x – 2)8

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28. [Maximum mark: 6] [with GDC]

Find the term containing x3 in the expansion of (2 – 3x)8.

29. [Maximum mark: 6] [with GDC]

8
 1 
Find the coefficient of x3 in the binomial expansion of 1 – x  .
 2 
30. [Maximum mark: 6] [with GDC]
6
 3x 
Find the coefficient of the x3 term in the expansion of  2   .
 2

31. [Maximum mark: 5] [with GDC]

8
2 
Find the term in x3 in the expansion of  x  3  .
 3 

32. [Maximum mark: 6] [with / without GDC]

One of the terms of the expansion of (x + 2y)10 is ax8 y2. Find the value of a.

33. [Maximum mark: 6] [with GDC]

Find the term containing x10 in the expansion of (5 + 2x2)7.

34. [Maximum mark: 6] [with GDC]

Consider the expansion of (x2 – 2)5.
(a) Write down the number of terms in this expansion. [1]
(b) The first four terms of the expansion in descending powers of x are
x10 – 10x8 + 40x6 + Ax4 + ...
Find the value of A. [5]

35. [Maximum mark: 6] [with GDC]

Consider the expansion of the expression (x3 − 3x)6.
(a) Write down the number of terms in this expansion. [1]
(b) Find the term in x12. [5]

36. [Maximum mark: 6] [with / without GDC]

5
 2
Find the term in x4 in the expansion of  3 x 2   .
 x

37. [Maximum mark: 6] [with GDC]

9
 1
Consider the expansion of  3 x 2 –  .
 x
(a) How many terms are there in this expansion? [1]
(b) Find the constant term in this expansion. [5]

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38. [Maximum mark: 4] [with GDC]

9
 2 
Determine the constant term in the expansion of  x – 2  .
 x 

39. [Maximum mark: 6] [without GDC]

6
 2 
Find the constant term in the expansion of  x 2  2  .
 x 

40. [Maximum mark: 6] [with / without GDC]

5
 2
Find the coefficient of x in the expansion of  3x   .
 x

41. [Maximum mark: 6] [with GDC]

When the expression (2 + ax)10 is expanded, the coefficient of the term in x3 is 414 720.
Find the value of a.

42. [Maximum mark: 6] [with GDC]

7
 
The coefficient of x in the expansion of  x  1 2  is 7 . Find the possible values of a .
 ax  3

43. [Maximum mark: 6] [without GDC]

Expand  x  2  and simplify your result.

4
(a) [3]
Find the term in x in  3 x  4   x  2  .
3 4
(b) [3]

44*. [Maximum mark: 6] [without GDC]

Expand  2  x  and simplify your result.

4
(a) [3]
4  1 
(b) Hence, find the term in x2 in  2  x  1  2  . [3]
 x 

45*. [Maximum mark: 8] [without GDC]

(a) Find the expansion of (2  x)5 , giving your answer in ascending powers of x . [3]

(b) By letting x  0.01 or otherwise, find the exact value of 2.015 . [2]

(c) Find the exact value of 1.995 . [3]

46**. [Maximum mark: 6] [with GDC]

Determine the first three terms in the expansion of 1  2 x  1  x  in ascending powers
5 7

of x .

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47**. [Maximum mark: 6] [without GDC]

Given that
(1  x)5 (1  ax)6 ≡ 1  bx  10 x 2  ⋯  a 6 x11 ,
find the values of a, b  *.

48*. [Maximum mark: 6] [without GDC]

Find the term in x 2 in 1  x   3 

4  2 

 x2 

49**. [Maximum mark: 6] [with / without GDC]

Find the coefficient of x 3 in the expansion of 2  x  1  x 2

4
  5

50**. [Maximum mark: 6] [with GDC]

5
 1
Find the constant term in the expansion of 2  x   2 x 
4

 x

51**. [Maximum mark: 6] [with GDC]

(a) Write down the quadratic expression 2 x 2  x  3 as the product of two linear
factors.
(b) Hence, or otherwise, find the coefficient of x in the expansion of (2 x 2  x  3)8 .

52**. [Maximum mark: 9] [with GDC]

In the binomial expansion of ( a  x ) n , where n  4 , the coefficient of x 3 is twice the
coefficient of x 4 .
(a) Show that n  2a  3 [5]

(b) Given that a  3 , find the coefficients of x3 and x 4 . [4]

53**. [Maximum mark: 6] [with GDC]

In the expansion of 1  ax  the first term is 1, the second term is 24x and the third
n

term is 252 x 2 . Find the values of a and n .

54*. [Maximum mark: 8] [with GDC]

n
 x
When 1   , n  , is expanded in ascending powers of x , the coefficient of x3 is 70.
 2
(a) Find the value of n . [4]

(b) Hence, find the coefficient of x 2 . [4]

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B. Exam style questions (LONG)

55. [Maximum mark: 12] [without GDC]

 4  4 4
Consider the binomial expansion (1  x) 4  1    x    x 2    x 3  x 4
1   2  3
 4  4  4
(a) By substituting x  1 into both sides, or otherwise, evaluate         . [2]
1   2   3 
 4  4  4
(b) Evaluate         in a similar way. [3]
1   2   3 
 9  9   9  9   9  9   9   9
(c) Evaluate                        . [4]
1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8 

9 9 9 9 9  9  9  9

(d) Show that                        . [3]
1   3   5   7   2   4   6   8 

56**. [Maximum mark: 9] [without GDC]

Let S  a  b and P  ab . By using the appropriate expansions of (a  b) n , express

the following in terms of S and P .

(a) a2  b2 [2]

(b) a3  b3 [3]

(c) a4  b4 [4]

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