Use the identity $(1+x)^{2n} = (1+x)^{n}(1+x)^{n}$
to show that
$\sum_{k=0}^{n} \binom{n}{k}^{2} = \binom{2n}{n}^{2}$,
where $n$ is a positive integer - HSC - SSCE Mathematics Extension 1 - Question 14 - 2020 - Paper 1
Question 14
Use the identity $(1+x)^{2n} = (1+x)^{n}(1+x)^{n}$
to show that
$\sum_{k=0}^{n} \binom{n}{k}^{2} = \binom{2n}{n}^{2}$,
where $n$ is a positive integer.
A club has ... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Use the identity $(1+x)^{2n} = (1+x)^{n}(1+x)^{n}$
to show that
$\sum_{k=0}^{n} \binom{n}{k}^{2} = \binom{2n}{n}^{2}$,
where $n$ is a positive integer - HSC - SSCE Mathematics Extension 1 - Question 14 - 2020 - Paper 1
Step 1
Use the identity $(1+x)^{2n}$
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Answer
We start by applying the identity given in the question:
(1+x)2n=(1+x)n(1+x)n.
By expanding each term in the product, we can express it as a sum of combinations:
(1+x)n=k=0∑n(kn)xk.
Therefore,
(1+x)2n=(k=0∑n(kn)xk)(j=0∑n(jn)xj).
When we multiply these two sums, the coefficient of xn will correspond to selecting the same number of women and men, hence:
k=0∑n(kn)2=(n2n).
Step 2
A group consisting of an even number (0, 2, 4, …, 2n) of members is chosen
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Answer
To choose a group with an equal number of men and women, we can always select:
k women from the n available, which can be done in (kn) ways,
k men from the n available, also done in (kn) ways.
The total number of ways to have k men and k women is: