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Josh
Lv 5
Josh asked in Science & MathematicsMathematics · 10 years ago

Question on Pascal's Triangle and the binomial theorem?

1. Find the constant term in the expansion of (x^2 - 1/x)^6

1 Answer

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  • MathMan TG
    Lv 7
    10 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    The coefficients are

    1 6 15 20 15 6 1

    x^2 ^ 0 ... 1/x^6 ... 1 * x^-6

    x^2 ^ 1 ... -1/x^5 ... - 6 * x^-3

    x^2 ^ 2 ... 1/x^4 ... + 15 * x^0 ← Constant term, only one where x's cancel completely

    x^2 ^3 .... -1/x^3 .. - 20 x^3

    x^2 ^4 .... 1/x^2 ... + 15 x^6

    x^2 ^5 .... -1/x^1 ... - 6 x^9

    x^2 ^6 .... -1/x^0 ...+ x^12

    (more commonly read from bottom up)

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