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Question

If the rth term in the expansion of \(\left( \dfrac{x}{3} - \dfrac{2}{x^2} \right)^{10}\)contains x4, then rth term is equal to

The correct answer is

3

Finding the Term with \(x^4\) in Binomial Expansion

We are asked to find the term that contains \(x^4\) in the expansion of \(\left( \dfrac{x}{3} - \dfrac{2}{x^2} \right)^{10}\). We need to determine which term in the expansion has \(x\) raised to the power of 4. The expansion is of the form \((a+b)^n\), where \(a = \dfrac{x}{3}\), \(b = -\dfrac{2}{x^2}\), and \(n = 10\).

General Term in Binomial Expansion

The general term, often denoted as the (r+1)th term, in the expansion of \((a+b)^n\) is given by the formula:

\(T_{r+1} = \binom{n}{r} a^{n-r} b^r\)

Here, \(r\) is an integer ranging from 0 to \(n\).

Applying the General Term Formula

Substitute the values from our expression into the general term formula:

\(a = \dfrac{x}{3}\)

\(b = -\dfrac{2}{x^2}\)

\(n = 10\)

So, the general term \(T_{r+1}\) is:

\(T_{r+1} = \binom{10}{r} \left(\dfrac{x}{3}\right)^{10-r} \left(-\dfrac{2}{x^2}\right)^r\)

Simplifying the Term to Find the Power of x

Let's simplify the expression to isolate the terms involving \(x\):

\(T_{r+1} = \binom{10}{r} \cdot \dfrac{x^{10-r}}{3^{10-r}} \cdot (-2)^r \cdot \dfrac{1}{(x^2)^r}\)

\(T_{r+1} = \binom{10}{r} \cdot \dfrac{x^{10-r}}{3^{10-r}} \cdot (-2)^r \cdot \dfrac{1}{x^{2r}}\)

Combine the powers of \(x\):

\(T_{r+1} = \binom{10}{r} (-2)^r \dfrac{1}{3^{10-r}} x^{10-r - 2r}\)

\(T_{r+1} = \binom{10}{r} (-2)^r 3^{r-10} x^{10-3r}\)

The power of \(x\) in the general term \(T_{r+1}\) is \(10-3r\).

Equating the Power of x to 4

We are looking for the term that contains \(x^4\). Therefore, we set the power of \(x\) equal to 4:

\(10 - 3r = 4\)

Solving for r

Now, we solve this linear equation for \(r\):

\(10 - 4 = 3r\)

\(6 = 3r\)

\(r = \dfrac{6}{3}\)

\(r = 2\)

The value \(r=2\) corresponds to the term \(T_{r+1}\) that contains \(x^4\).

Identifying the Term Number

The term containing \(x^4\) is the \(T_{r+1}\) term. Since we found \(r=2\), the term is \(T_{2+1} = T_3\).

The question asks for the "rth term" which contains \(x^4\), and the options suggest the term number (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.). Our calculation shows that the 3rd term contains \(x^4\).

Therefore, the rth term (where r represents the term number) is the 3rd term.

r value Term Number (Tr+1) Power of \(x\) (\(10-3r\))
0 T1 \(10 - 3(0) = 10\)
1 T2 \(10 - 3(1) = 7\)
2 T3 \(10 - 3(2) = 4\)
3 T4 \(10 - 3(3) = 1\)
... ... ...

From the table, we can see that when \(r=2\), the power of \(x\) is 4, and this corresponds to the T3 term, which is the 3rd term in the expansion.

Revision Table: Binomial Expansion Concepts

Concept Description Formula Example (\((a+b)^n\))
Binomial Theorem Formula for expanding \((a+b)^n\). \((a+b)^n = \sum_{r=0}^{n} \binom{n}{r} a^{n-r} b^r\)
General Term The (r+1)th term in the expansion. \(T_{r+1} = \binom{n}{r} a^{n-r} b^r\)
Binomial Coefficient \(\binom{n}{r}\) represents the number of ways to choose r items from a set of n. \(\binom{n}{r} = \dfrac{n!}{r!(n-r)!}\)
Power of a Power When raising a power to another power, multiply the exponents. \((x^m)^n = x^{m \cdot n}\)
Dividing Powers with Same Base Subtract the exponents when dividing powers with the same base. \(\dfrac{x^m}{x^n} = x^{m-n}\)

Additional Information: Finding Specific Terms

Finding specific terms in a binomial expansion is a common application of the general term formula. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

  • The index \(r\) in the formula \(T_{r+1}\) starts from 0. This means the first term is \(T_1\) (when \(r=0\)), the second term is \(T_2\) (when \(r=1\)), and so on. The (r+1)th term corresponds to the value of \(r\).
  • When dealing with expressions involving fractions and negative exponents, carefully apply the rules of exponents, especially when combining terms with the same variable.
  • The total number of terms in the expansion of \((a+b)^n\) is \(n+1\).
  • To find a term independent of \(x\) (a constant term), you would set the power of \(x\) in the general term equal to 0 and solve for \(r\).

Understanding the general term formula is key to solving various problems related to binomial expansions, such as finding specific terms, coefficients, or the middle term(s).

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Important Questions from Binomial Expansion

  1. The value of \(^{47}C_4 + \displaystyle\sum_{r=1}^5 {^{52-r}C_3}\) is equal to:

  2. For every integer n > 2 the sum of the expansions \(1 - {}^n{C_1} + {}^n{C_2} + - - - {( - 1)^n}{}.^n{C_n}\) is______

  3. What is the coefficient of x101y99 in the expansion of (2x - 3y)200?

  4. If $x = \frac{1}{4}$, then the greatest term in the expansion of $(2 + 3x)^{15}$ will be

  5. The coefficient of x11 in the expansion of \({\left( {{x^2} -\frac{1}{x}} \right)^{10}}\) is:

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