Consider the expansion of \left ( 2x - \frac{3}{x} \right )^{12}.
(a) Write down the number of terms in this expansion.
[1]
(b) Find the constant term in this expansion.
[5]
Markscheme
(a)
The number of terms is one more than the exponent in the expansion, so:
\boldsymbol{{\color{Purple} 13\: \textbf{terms}}}
(b)
The constant term in the expansion is the term that does not contain x, hence the term where the exponent of the 2x term is the same as the exponent of the - \frac{3}{x} term.
Using the general term of the Binomial Theorem formula, this term can be expressed as follows:
To get the x^{4} term from 2x(3x - 5)^{7}, we will use our answer from part (a) and get:
2x \times 590625x^{3} = 1181250x^{4}
To get the x^{4} term from -3(3x - 5)^{7}, we will use the general term of the Binomial Theorem formula to find the x^{4} in the expansion of (3x - 5)^{7}:
^{7}C_{3} \times (3x)^{7 - 3} \times (-5)^{3}
Using the calculator to work further we get:
35 \times 81x^{4} \times -125 = -354375x^{4}
Therefore the x^{4} term from -3(3x - 5)^{7} is:
(-3)(-354375x^{4}) = 1063125x^{4}
Hence the coefficient of the x^{4} term in the expansion of (2x - 3)(3x - 5)^{7} is: