CombinatoricsDifficulty 4.2AIMEFind the answerUnited States
Problem: Find the coefficient of x12 in the Maclaurin series (i.e. Taylor series around x=0) for 1−3x+2x21.
A number or a short expression. Fractions can be typed as 3/2, and spacing doesn't matter.
Solution
Solution: If you know formal power series, then this is not such a hard question, but since this is a calculus test... Use partial fractions to get 1−3x+2x21=1−2x1/2−1−x1. Now each of these can be expanded as a geometric series (or take derivatives and get the same result) to get 21(1+2x+4x2+8x3+⋯)−(1+x+x2+x3+⋯), so the coefficient of xn is 2n−1−1. When n=12, that's 2047.
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Source: MathNet,
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