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Binomial Past HSC 2001-2011

1)! 3U01-2d
1
Find the term independent of x in the binomial expansion of ( x 2  ) 9 .
x

2)! 3U01-5b
n n
By using the binomial expansion, show that (q  p) n  (q  p) n  2( )q n  1 p  2( )q n  3 p 3  ...
1 3
What is the last term in the expansion when n is odd? What is the last term in the expansion when n is
even?

3)! 3U02-7b
The coefficient of xk in (1 + x)n, where n is a positive integer, is denoted by ck (so ck = nCk).
i. Show that c0 + 2c1 + 3c2 + … + (n + 1)cn = (n + 2)2n – 1.
c c c cn
ii. Find the sum 0  1  2  ...  (1)n . Write your answer as a simple
1 2 2  3 3  4 (n  1)(n  2)
expression in terms of n.

4)! 3U03-2d
Find the coefficient of x4 in the expansion of (2 + x2)5.

5)! 3U04-7b
i. Show that for all positive integers n,
x[(1 + x)n – 1 + (1 + x)n – 2 + … + (1 + x)2 + (1 + x) + 1] = (1 + x)n – 1.
ii. Hence show that for 1  k  n,
n1 n2 n3 k 1 n
( )( )( )  ...  ( )  ( ).
k 1 k 1 k 1 k 1 k
n1 n
iii. Show that n( )  (k  1)( ).
k k 1
iv. By differentiating both sides of the identity in (i), show that for 1  k  n,
n2 n3 k 1 n
(n  1)( )  (n  2)( )  ...  k ( )  k( ).
k 1 k 1 k 1 k 1

6)! 3U05-2b
1 12
Use the binomial theorem to find the term independent of x in the expansion of (2 x  ) .
x2

7)! 3U06-2b
i. By applying the binomial theorem to (1 + x)n and differentiating, show that
 n  n  n  n
n(1  x) n 1     2  x  ...  r   x r 1  ...  n  x n 1 .
1   2 r   n
ii. Hence deduce that
 n  n  n
n3 n 1     ...  r  2 r 1  ...  n 2 n 1.
1  r   n

8)! 3U08-1d
Find an expression for the coefficient of x8y4 in the expansion of (2x +3y)12.

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9)! 3U08-6c
Let p and q be positive integers with p ≤ q.
i. Use the binomial theorem to expand (1 + x) p + q, and hence write down the term
(1  x) pq
of which is independent of x.
xq
(1  x) pq
q
 1
ii. Given that  (1  x) p  1   , apply the binomial theorem and the result of part (i) to
 x
q
x
 p  q   p  q   p  q 
find a simpler expression for 1                 .
 1  1   2  2   p  p 

10)! 3U09-6b
i. Find the sum of the geometric series (1 + x) r + (1 + x) r+1 … + (1 + x) n
 r   r  1  n   n  1
and hence show that                .
r  r   r   r  1
ii. Consider a square grid with n rows and n columns of equally spaced points.
y

x
The diagram illustrates such a grid. Several intervals of gradient 1, whose endpoints are a pair
of points in the grid, are shown.
n
1. Explain why the number of such intervals on the line y = x is equal to   .
2
2. Explain why the total number, Sn, of such intervals in the grid is given by
 2 3  n  1  n   n  1 3  2
s n                            .
 2  2  2   2  2   2  2
n(n  1)(2n  1)
iii. Using the result in part (i), show that S n 
6

11)! 2U10-7b
 n  n  n  n
The binomial theorem states that (1  x) n       x    x 2  ...    x n .
0  1   2   n
n
n
i. Show that 2 n     .
k 0  k 

 100   100   100   100 

ii. Hence, or otherwise, find the value of          ...    .
 0   1   2   100 
n
n
Iii, Show that n2 n 1   k   .
k 1  k 

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12)! 2U10-7c
i. A box contains n identical red balls and n identical blue balls. A selection of r balls is made
from the box, where 0 ≤ r ≤ n. Explain why the number of possible colour combinations is
r + 1.
ii. Another box contains n white balls labelled consecutively from 1 to n. A selection of n − r balls
n
is made from the box, where 0 ≤ r ≤ n. Explain why the number of different selections is   .
r 
iii. The n red balls, the n blue balls and the n white labelled balls are all placed into one box, and a
selection of n balls is made. Using part (b), or otherwise, show that the number of different
selections is (n + 2)2n − 1 .

13)! 3U11-2c
8
 4
Find an expression for the coefficient of x2 in the expansion of  3 x  
 x

14)! 3U11-7b
n
 n
The binomial theorem states that (1  x) n    x r for all integers n  1.
r 0  r 
n
n
i) Show that    rxr  nx(1  x) n 1 .
r 1  r 
n
 n
ii) By differentiating the result from part (i), or otherwise, show that    r 2  n(1  n)2 n  2 .
r 1  r 

iii) Assume now that n is even. Show that, for n  4,

 n 2  n 2 n 2  n
 2   4   6  ...   n 2  n(1  n)2 n  3 .
 2 4 6   n
[[End Of Qns]]

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PHS0001 C:\M_Bank\Sheets\Yr12-3U\binomial hsc.doc 8/08/2012

[Answers]
«1) 84 »
«2) Last term is 2pn if n is odd. Last term is
2nqpn – 1 if n is even »
1
«3) i) Proof ii) »
n2
«4) 80 »
«5) Proof »
«6) 126 720 »
«7) Proof »
«8) 12C4 2 8 34 »
r  pq
 p  q r
«9) i)    x , Term independent of
r 0  r 
 p  q
x =  
 q 
ii) Expression =
 p  q   p  q   p  q   p  q 
1                    »
 1  1   2  2   p  p   q 
(1  x) n1  (1  x) r
«10) i) S nr 1  ii-1) The line
x
y = x is the diagonal. It is made up of n such points.
The number of such intervals is the number of ways
n
of choosing 2 points on the line. That is   .
2
ii-2) Applying same explanation to all lines parallel
and on both sides of the diagonal we get the result.
iii) Proof »
«11) i) Proof ii) 2100 iii) Proof »
«12) i) For each k choice of read balls there is r – k
choice of blue where 0 ≤ k ≤ r. Then total number
n
is r + 1 ii)   iii) Proof »
r 
«13) –870912 »
«14) Proof »

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