Binomial Theorem

ureka Classes
Class – XI
CBSE Board
 Factorial (n!)
❑Definition: For any natural number ‘n’ factorial is the product of first
n natural numbers
• 7! = 7 × 6 × 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1 = 5040

❑Important points:
• 0! = 1
• 𝑛! = 𝑛 𝑛 − 1 !
 Binomial Expansion for Positive Integral Indices
• 𝑎+𝑏 0 =1 𝑎+𝑏 ≠0
• 𝑎+𝑏 1 = (𝑎 + 𝑏)
2
• 𝑎+𝑏 = 𝑎2 + 2𝑎𝑏 + 𝑏 2
• 𝑎+𝑏 3 = 𝑎3 + 3𝑎2 𝑏 + 3𝑎𝑏 2 + 𝑏 3

❑Observations:
• Total number of terms in the expansion is one more than the index.
• Powers of the 1st quantity ‘a’ goes on decreasing whereas the powers of ‘b’ keeps
on increasing at the same time.
• In each term the sum of indices is the same and that is equal to the index of
𝑎+𝑏
 Pascal’s Triangle
• 𝑎+𝑏 0 = 1
• 𝑎+𝑏 1 = 1𝑎 + 1𝑏
2
• 𝑎+𝑏 = 1𝑎2 +2𝑎𝑏 + 1𝑏 2
• 𝑎+𝑏 3 = 1𝑎3 +3𝑎2 𝑏 + 3𝑎𝑏 2 + 1𝑏 3
• 𝑎+𝑏 4 = 1𝑎4 +4𝑎3 𝑏 + 6𝑎2 𝑏 2 + 4𝑎𝑏 3 + 1𝑏 4

❑The structure formed looks like a triangle with 1 at the vertex. The coefficients of
the terms form array of numbers which is known as Pascal’s Triangle, after the
name of French Mathematician Blaise Pascal.
• ⁿ𝐶𝑟 give the coefficients of the binomial expansion of positive integral index n.
 ⁿ𝐶𝑟
0
• 𝑎+𝑏 = ⁰𝐶0
1
• 𝑎+𝑏 = ¹𝐶0 𝑎 + ¹𝐶1 𝑏
2
• 𝑎+𝑏 = ²𝐶0 𝑎2 +²𝐶1 𝑎𝑏 + ²𝐶2 𝑏 2
• 𝑎+𝑏 3 = ³𝐶0 𝑎3 + ³𝐶1 𝑎2 𝑏 + ³𝐶2 𝑎𝑏 2 + ³𝐶3 𝑏 3
• 𝑎+𝑏 4 = ⁴𝐶0 𝑎4 + ⁴𝐶1 𝑎3 𝑏 + ⁴𝐶2 𝑎2 𝑏 2 + ⁴𝐶3 𝑎𝑏 3 + ⁴𝐶4 𝑏 4

𝒏!
❑ⁿ𝑪𝒓 = , 0 ≤ 𝑟 ≤ 𝑛 (where n ∈ 𝐼+ )
𝒓! 𝒏−𝒓 !
• ⁰𝐶0 = 1,
• ⁿ𝐶𝑟 = ⁿ𝐶𝑛−𝑟 ,
4!
• ⁴𝐶3 = =4
3! 4−3 !
 Binomial theorem for Positive Integer n
• 𝑎+𝑏 𝑛 = ⁿ𝐶0 𝑎𝑛 + ⁿ𝐶1 𝑎𝑛−1 𝑏 + ⁿ𝐶2 𝑎𝑛−2 𝑏2 + ⋯ + ⁿ𝐶𝑟 𝑎𝑛−𝑟 𝑏𝑟 + ⁿ𝐶𝑛−1 𝑎𝑏𝑛−1 + ⁿ𝐶𝑛 𝑏 𝑛

❑Observations:
• σ𝑛𝑘=0 ⁿ𝐶𝑘 𝑎𝑛−𝑘 𝑏𝑘 = ⁿ𝐶0 𝑎𝑛 + ⁿ𝐶1 𝑎𝑛−1 𝑏 + ⁿ𝐶2 𝑎𝑛−2 𝑏 2 + ⋯ + ⁿ𝐶𝑛−1 𝑎𝑏𝑛−1 + ⁿ𝐶𝑛 𝑏𝑛
• ⁿ𝐶𝑟 occurring in the binomial expansion are known as binomial coefficients
• There are (𝑛 + 1) terms.
• In the expansion the sum of the indices of a and b are always equal to n.
• In the successive terms of the expansion the index of a keeps on decreasing whereas the index of
b keeps on increasing at the same time by 1.
 6
𝑥2 6
Expand the expression: 3
+
𝑥
 Special cases
❑Taking a = 𝑥 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏 = −𝑦, we get
𝑛
• 𝑥−𝑦 = ⁿ𝐶0 𝑥 𝑛 − ⁿ𝐶1 𝑥 𝑛−1 𝑦 + ⁿ𝐶2 𝑥 𝑛−2 𝑦 2 − ⁿ𝐶3 𝑥 𝑛−3 𝑦 3 + ⋯ + (−1)𝑛 ⁿ𝐶𝑛 𝑏 𝑛
❑Taking a = 1 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏 = 𝑥, we get
• 1+𝑥 𝑛 = ⁿ𝐶0 + ⁿ𝐶1 𝑥 + ⁿ𝐶2 𝑥 2 + ⁿ𝐶3 𝑥 3 + ⋯ +ⁿ𝐶𝑛−1 𝑥 𝑛−1 + ⁿ𝐶𝑛 𝑥 𝑛
For 𝑥 = 1,
• 2𝑛 = ⁿ𝐶0 + ⁿ𝐶1 + ⁿ𝐶2 + ⁿ𝐶3 + ⋯ + ⁿ𝐶𝑛
❑Taking a = 1 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏 = −𝑥, we get
𝑛
• 1−𝑥 = ⁿ𝐶0 − ⁿ𝐶1 𝑥 + ⁿ𝐶2 𝑥 2 − ⁿ𝐶3 𝑥 3 + ⋯ + (−1)𝑛 ⁿ𝐶𝑛 𝑥 𝑛
For 𝑥 = 1,
• 0 = ⁿ𝐶0 − ⁿ𝐶1 + ⁿ𝐶2 − ⁿ𝐶3 + ⋯ + −1 𝑛 ⁿ𝐶𝑛
 General and Middle terms
❑In the expansion 𝑎 + 𝑏 𝑛 , the general term is given by 𝑇𝑟+1 .
• 𝑇𝑟+1 = ⁿ𝐶𝑟 𝑎𝑛−𝑟 𝑏 𝑟
❑Middle term:
• If n is even, there are (n+1) terms which is odd. Therefore, the middle
𝑛+2 𝑡ℎ
terms is term.
2
• If n is odd, there are (n+1) terms which is even. So there will be two
𝑛+1 𝑡ℎ 𝑛+1 𝑡ℎ
middle terms i.e., and +1
2 2