Binomial Theorem

The binomial theorem is an immensely useful piece of mathematics that contains a treasure trove
of beauty as we look deeper into it. We have known the theorem in special cases for over 2,000
years as evidenced by the work of Euclid, and Indian mathematicians were extremely interested
in it. They likely had determined the general form of the theorem over 1,000 years ago. The Indian
Mathematician Bhāskara wrote what might have been the first formal expression of it in the form
we use today over 800 years ago.
One of the primarily uses of the binomial theorem is to find the coefficients of polynomials con-
structed from repeatedly multiplying binomials (expressions with two terms) by themselves. For
instance

(x + y)4 = x4 + 4x3 y + 6x2 y 2 + 4xy 3 + y 4

The binomial theorem is a method for determining the coefficients of each of the terms in this
polynomial. This connection is where the naming of the theorem derives from.
We initially look at the binomial theorem and its relation to Pascal’s Triangle

n=0 1
n=1 1 1
n=2 1 2 1
n=3 1 3 3 1
n=4 1 4 6 4 1
n=5 1 5 10 10 5 1
n=6 1 6 15 20 15 6 1

This triangle shows us the binomial coefficients for (x + 1)n as for various integer values of n.
One of the more beautiful forms this theorem takes is to determine the number of ways you can
create subgroups from a larger set of elements (things). For instance, it might tell me the number
of ways I can make 3-person teams from a group of 7 people. We usually represent the size of the
whole set with n and the number of elements we are taking from this set to form each subgroup
as b, c, r, or k. We write this as
( )
n
k
and this is commonly read as ”n choose k”. For instance, from our previous example we would
have
( )
7
3
which is read ”seven, choose three”.
An expression to determine this number can be made using factorials given by the formula
( )
n n!
=
k (n − k)!k!

Returning to our discussion regarding polynomials, the expansion of a binomial such as x + 1 is

given by
n ( )
∑ n
(x + 1)n = xk
k
k=0

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 Binomial Theorem
(n )
Furthermore, the values of k can be found in pascal’s triangle, as shown below.
(0)
0
(1) (1)
0 1
(2) (2) (2)
0 1 2
(3) (3) (3) (3)
0 1 2 3
(4) (4) (4) (4) (4)
0 1 2 3 4
(n )
By understanding the connection with the triangle, we can simply use it to find k for any n and
k which are relatively small.
n
0 1
1 1 1
2 1 2 1
3 1 3 3 1
4 1 4 6 4 1
5 1 5 10 10 5 1
6 1 6 15 20 15 6 1
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
k
As our n grows larger,
( ) it makes sense to instead rely on the formula to
solve for various nk . Using a TI-84 calculator, within the MATH button
commands in the PRB section there is an operator for nCr with syntax

n nCr r or nCr
( )
for calculating nr . The TI-NSpire has it under the Probability section
of the Menu as ”Combinations”, and has syntax

nCr(n, r)
( 8)
Example 1: Find the value of 5 .
( )
8 8! 8!
= = TI-84 TI-NSpire
5 (8 − 5)!5! 3!5!

From this point we can either cancel out terms as follows

8·7·6·5·4·3·2·1 8·7·6
= = = 56
3·2·1·5·4·3·2·1 3·2

or we can find all three factorials

40320
= = 56
120 · 6

The easiest method is to simply use the nCr function on the

calculator.

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 Binomial Theorem

When we begin looking at more difficult uses for the binomial theorem, we notice that changing
the coefficients used in our binomial such as

(2x + 5)8
will cause us issues. For such applications of the binomial theorem we must consider the number
of each term within the binomial will will be contributed to each portion of the expansion. We
arrive at the following formula
n ( )
∑
(n) n
(a + b) = a(n−k) b(k)
k
k=0

This generalized formula was introduced by Isaac Newton.

Example 2: Determine the coefficient for the x6 term in the expansion of
(2x + 5)8 .
The x6 term will will be the element in the summation represented by
( )
8
(2x)8−2 · 52
6

Evaluating this we arrive at

28 · 64x6 · 25 = 44800x6

So the coefficient in this case is 44800.

1. Expand the following binomials.

(a) (x + 1)4 (d) (x − 4)4 (g) (5x + 2)4

(b) (x − 1)4 (e) (2x + 1)4 (h) (7x − 3)4

(c) (x + 3)4 (f) (4x − 1)4 (i) (5x + 4y)4

2. Find the term in x5 in the expansion of (3x + 5)9 .

3. The third term in the expansion of (x + k)9 is 21x7 . Find the possible values of k.

( 1
)
4. Find the term in x2 in (3 + x)4 1 + x2
.

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 Binomial Theorem

Interesting places you find the Binomial Theorem

For the complex numbers the binomial theorem can be combined with de Moivre’s formula to
yield multiple-angle formulas for the sine and cosine.

The number e is often defined by the formula

( )n
1
e = lim 1+
n→∞ n

For those who have learned in a Montessori environment as young children, you may remember
the Binomial Cube material.

This represents the expansion of (x + 1)3 .