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Glite Dictionary
binomial theorem

binomial theorem

1 8.4
A formula in algebra for expanding expressions like (a+b)^n into a sum of terms
  • noun
  • /baɪˈnoʊmiəl ˈθiːərəm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : teorema binomial
  • Understanding the binomial theorem is crucial for solving many algebraic equations.

Examples

  • So this is the binomial theorem, very famous.

  • The binomial theorem allows us to expand expressions like (a + b) raised to the power of n.

  • In mathematics class, we learned how to apply the binomial theorem to find coefficients.

Surface Forms

binomial theorem singular
binomial theorems plural

Morphology

binomial + theorem

The phrase denotes a theorem (a provable statement) concerning a binomial (an expression with two terms), so its meaning is directly compositional from the constituents. Although technical, the relation is transparent and cross-linguistically analogous, so a learner who knows 'binomial' and 'theorem' would readily understand it.

Etymology

Binomial theorem gets its name from binomial, meaning an expression with 'two parts' like a + b, and theorem, meaning a 'rule'. Think of it as a simple recipe that shows how to change a + b when you raise it to a power, so it tells you how to 'expand' that expression into many terms.