(x+y+z)^5 Expand

5 min read Jun 17, 2024
(x+y+z)^5 Expand

Expanding (x + y + z)^5

The expansion of (x + y + z)^5 is a challenging but rewarding exercise in binomial theorem application. It involves finding all the possible combinations of x, y, and z that add up to 5, accounting for their coefficients. Let's break down the process:

Understanding the Binomial Theorem

The binomial theorem provides a formula for expanding expressions of the form (a + b)^n:

(a + b)^n = ∑ (n choose k) * a^(n-k) * b^k

where:

  • n is the power
  • k ranges from 0 to n
  • (n choose k) represents the binomial coefficient, calculated as n!/(k! * (n-k)!). This coefficient represents the number of ways to choose k items from a set of n items.

Applying the Theorem to (x + y + z)^5

While the binomial theorem directly addresses expressions with two terms, we can adapt it for three terms by considering (x + y + z) as a single entity:

  1. Identify the terms: We have three terms: x, y, and z.
  2. Determine the power: The power is 5.
  3. Expand the expression: We need to find all combinations of exponents for x, y, and z that sum up to 5. Each combination will have a corresponding coefficient calculated using the binomial theorem.

Example: One possible combination is x^3 * y^1 * z^1. Its coefficient is found by considering the binomial theorem applied to (x + (y+z))^5 and focusing on the term (y+z)^1:

  • (5 choose 1) = 5 is the coefficient for (y+z)^1.
  • (1 choose 1) = 1 is the coefficient for y^1 * z^1 within (y+z)^1.

Therefore, the coefficient for x^3 * y^1 * z^1 is 5 * 1 = 5.

The Complete Expansion

Following this process for all possible combinations, we arrive at the complete expansion of (x + y + z)^5:

(x + y + z)^5 = x^5 + 5x^4y + 5x^4z + 10x^3y^2 + 20x^3yz + 10x^3z^2 + 10x^2y^3 + 30x^2y^2z + 30x^2yz^2 + 10x^2z^3 + 5xy^4 + 20xy^3z + 30xy^2z^2 + 20xyz^3 + 5xz^4 + y^5 + 5y^4z + 10y^3z^2 + 10y^2z^3 + 5yz^4 + z^5

Key Points

  • The number of terms in the expansion is (n+1)^3, where n is the power. For (x + y + z)^5, there are 6^3 = 216 terms.
  • The coefficients in the expansion are the multinomial coefficients, which can be calculated using the formula: (n choose k1, k2, ..., kn) = n! / (k1! * k2! * ... * kn!), where k1 + k2 + ... + kn = n.

Applications

Understanding the expansion of (x + y + z)^5 has applications in various fields, including:

  • Probability: In probability, expanding expressions like this helps determine the probability of various outcomes in events with multiple possibilities.
  • Statistics: In statistics, it plays a role in understanding the distributions of variables and calculating moments.
  • Algebraic manipulation: It provides a tool for manipulating and simplifying complex expressions.

This expansion serves as a building block for further mathematical exploration and problem-solving in various areas.

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