(a+b+c)^4 Formula

4 min read Jul 03, 2024
(a+b+c)^4 Formula

The Formula for (a+b+c)^4

The formula for (a+b+c)^4 is a mathematical expression that expands the power of a binomial expression to the fourth degree. In this article, we will derive the formula and explore its properties.

Binomial Theorem

The binomial theorem is a mathematical formula that describes the expansion of powers of a binomial expression. The general formula is:

$(a+b)^n = \sum_{k=0}^{n} {n \choose k} a^{n-k} b^k$

where $n$ is a positive integer, and ${n \choose k}$ is the binomial coefficient.

Derivation of (a+b+c)^4 Formula

To derive the formula for (a+b+c)^4, we can use the binomial theorem and extend it to a trinomial expression. Let's start by expanding (a+b+c)^2:

$(a+b+c)^2 = a^2 + b^2 + c^2 + 2ab + 2ac + 2bc$

Next, we can expand (a+b+c)^3:

$(a+b+c)^3 = a^3 + b^3 + c^3 + 3a^2b + 3a^2c + 3ab^2 + 3ac^2 + 3b^2a + 3b^2c + 3bc^2 + 6abc$

Now, we can expand (a+b+c)^4:

$(a+b+c)^4 = a^4 + b^4 + c^4 + 4a^3b + 4a^3c + 4a^2b^2 + 4a^2c^2 + 4ab^3 + 4ac^3 + 4b^3a + 4b^3c + 4bc^3 + 6a^2bc + 6ab^2c + 6abc^2 + 12a^2b^2 + 12a^2c^2 + 12b^2c^2$

Simplified Formula

The formula for (a+b+c)^4 can be simplified by combining like terms:

$(a+b+c)^4 = a^4 + b^4 + c^4 + 4a^3b + 4a^3c + 6a^2b^2 + 6a^2c^2 + 12a^2bc + 4ab^3 + 4ac^3 + 4b^3a + 4b^3c + 6b^2c^2 + 12b^2ca + 4bc^3 + 6abc^2 + 12abc$

Properties of (a+b+c)^4 Formula

The formula for (a+b+c)^4 has several important properties:

  • Symmetry: The formula is symmetric in a, b, and c, meaning that the expression remains unchanged if we swap any two variables.
  • Homogeneity: The formula is homogeneous in a, b, and c, meaning that the degree of each term is the same (in this case, 4).

Conclusion

In this article, we have derived the formula for (a+b+c)^4 using the binomial theorem and explored its properties. The formula has several important applications in algebra, combinatorics, and other areas of mathematics.

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