Question 1
What is the coefficient of the term x^4 * y^1 in the expansion of (x+y+z)^5?
Step-by-Step Solution:
Concept: Multinomial theorem expansion:
$$(x_1 + x_2 + ... + x_k)^n = \sum_{a_1+...+a_k=n} \frac{n!}{a_1! a_2! ... a_k!} x_1^{a_1} x_2^{a_2} ... x_k^{a_k}$$
Given:
- Expression: (x+y+z)^5
- Desired term: the term x^4 * y^1
- Exponents: x = 4, y = 1, z = 0
Step 1 - Verify exponent sum:
4 + 1 + 0 = 5 = 5 ✓
Step 2 - Apply multinomial coefficient formula:
Coefficient = $\frac{5!}{4! × 1!}$
Step 3 - Calculate:
- Numerator: 5! = 120
- Denominator: 4! × 1! = 24 × 1
- Denominator value: 24
Final Calculation:
Coefficient = 120 / 24 = 5
Alternative interpretation: This equals the number of ways to arrange 5 items with:
4 of type x, 1 of type y, 0 of type z
Key Principle: Multinomial coefficients generalize binomial coefficients:
- Binomial: C(n, k) = n!/(k!(n-k)!)
- Multinomial: n!/(a! b! c! ...) where a+b+c+... = n
Quick Check: The sum of all multinomial coefficients for given n is k^n = 3^5 = 243
Concept: Multinomial theorem expansion:
$$(x_1 + x_2 + ... + x_k)^n = \sum_{a_1+...+a_k=n} \frac{n!}{a_1! a_2! ... a_k!} x_1^{a_1} x_2^{a_2} ... x_k^{a_k}$$
Given:
- Expression: (x+y+z)^5
- Desired term: the term x^4 * y^1
- Exponents: x = 4, y = 1, z = 0
Step 1 - Verify exponent sum:
4 + 1 + 0 = 5 = 5 ✓
Step 2 - Apply multinomial coefficient formula:
Coefficient = $\frac{5!}{4! × 1!}$
Step 3 - Calculate:
- Numerator: 5! = 120
- Denominator: 4! × 1! = 24 × 1
- Denominator value: 24
Final Calculation:
Coefficient = 120 / 24 = 5
Alternative interpretation: This equals the number of ways to arrange 5 items with:
4 of type x, 1 of type y, 0 of type z
Key Principle: Multinomial coefficients generalize binomial coefficients:
- Binomial: C(n, k) = n!/(k!(n-k)!)
- Multinomial: n!/(a! b! c! ...) where a+b+c+... = n
Quick Check: The sum of all multinomial coefficients for given n is k^n = 3^5 = 243