Problem Set
August 8, 2025
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1. (1st Session 2008) In the expansion of x
5 + x according to ascending powers of x:
(a) prove that the term free of x is the middle term and find its value.
(b) find the value of x that makes the ratio between the third and seventh terms equal to 1 : 16.
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2. (2nd Session 2020) In the expansion of x2 + x according to descending powers of x:
(a) Find the ratio between the sixth term and the fifth term. If this ratio equals 25 : 8, find the value
of x.
(b) Prove that there is no term free of x in this expansion.
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3. (1st Session 2010) In the expansion of x2 + 8x according to the descending powers of x:
(a) Prove that there is no term of first degree in x.
(b) If the fourth term and the eleventh term are equal, find the value of x.
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4. (1st Session 2007) In the expansion of x2 + 2x according to the descending powers of x:
(a) Find the ratio between the coefficient of x3 and the value of the term free of x.
(b) Find the value of x that makes the two middle terms equal.
5. (2nd Session 2014) In the expansion of (1 + 2x)n according to the ascending powers of x, if the ratio
between the eighth term and the tenth term is 1 : 28 when x = 3, find the value of n.
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6. (2nd Session 2008) In the expansion of x2 + x :
(a) Prove that the expansion contains a term free of x if n is a multiple of 3.
(b) If n = 12 and the expansion is according to the descending powers of x, find the ratio between the
term free of x and the coefficient of the term that follows it.
7. (2nd Session 2013) In the expansion of (1 + x)n according to the ascending powers of x, if T5 = T6 and
T4 = 25
3 T2 , then find the values of n and x.
8. (1st Session 2011) If the second, third, and fourth terms in the expansion of (x + y)n according to the
descending powers of x are 240, 720, 1080 respectively, then find the values of x, y and n.
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9. Find the coefficient of x5 in the expansion of (1 − x + x2 )(1 + x)11 .
10. Find the greatest term in the expansion of (3 + 2x)6 according to the ascending powers of x at x = 1.
11. If (m + x)n = 3a + 6ax + 5ax2 + · · · + xn , where n ∈ Z+ , then find the value of m + n + a.
12. Find the solution set of the equation: 1 + 20x + 190x2 + 1140x3 + · · · + x20 = x18 + 18x17 + 153x16 + · · · + 1.
