If , , then is equal to
- A
- B
- C
- D
If , , then is equal to
Correct answer:C
Standard Method
Given:
Find:
Split the summation into two parts:
Use the identity
So,
Hence,
Put . Then goes from to :
For the second part,
Add both parts:
Comparing with
we get and .
Therefore,
The correct option is C.
Detailed Binomial Expansion
Given:
and
Find:
Let
Then
Using
we get
Now let . Then
By the binomial theorem,
Hence,
Next,
Now,
Therefore,
So,
Thus,
Comparing with the required form,
Finally,
and
Therefore, the value is , so the correct option is C.
A common mistake is to apply the binomial theorem directly to without first splitting the term . This is wrong because the factor requires the identity . Split the sum into two separate sums before evaluating.
Students often forget that the second sum starts from , not . This is wrong because the full binomial sum includes the term equal to . After using , subtract the missing term.
Another mistake is in changing variables from to and keeping incorrect limits. This leads to a wrong binomial sum. When you substitute , the limits change from to into to .
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