What will the following formula go ?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Pattielli
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Formula
AI Thread Summary
The discussion focuses on simplifying a formula involving binomial coefficients. Participants analyze specific cases for n=0 to n=4, revealing a pattern that suggests the formula simplifies to n!/P, where P is the product of terms (x)(x+1)...(x+n). They note that the coefficients of certain powers of x in the expansion lead to insights about alternating sums of binomial coefficients. The conversation highlights collaborative problem-solving and learning through shared insights. Overall, the simplification process illustrates the relationship between binomial coefficients and polynomial expressions.
Pattielli
Messages
296
Reaction score
0
Can you point out how to simplify the following formula ?

\frac{C^0_n}{x}-\frac{C^1_n}{x+1}+...+(-1)^n\frac{C^n_n}{x+n}

Thank you
 
Mathematics news on Phys.org
your Cs are binomial coeffs?

have you worked itout for the cases n=0,1,2? what did you get there? is there a pattern you can see?
 
Thanks Matt for your help

Yes, they are binomial coeffs.
I tried till n reaches 4 and I figured it out...
n=0 \frac{C^0_0}{x}=\frac{1}{x}
n=1 \frac{C^0_1}{x}-\frac{C^1_1}{x+1}=\frac{1}{x(x+1)}
n=2, \frac{C^0_2}{x}-\frac{C^1_2}{x+1}+\frac{C^2_2}{x+2}=\frac{1}{x}-\frac{2}{x+1}+\frac{1}{x+2}=\frac{2}{x(x+1)(x+2)}
n=3, \frac{C^0_3}{x}-\frac{C^1_3}{x+1}+\frac{C^2_3}{x+2}-\frac{C^3_3}{x+3}=\frac{6}{x(x+1)(x+2)(x+3)}
n=4, \frac{C^0_4}{x}-\frac{C^1_4}{x+1}+\frac{C^2_4}{x+2}-\frac{C^3_4}{x+4}+\frac{C^4_4}{x+4}=\frac{24}{x(x+1)(x+2)(x+3)(x+4)}

So I think it will be \frac{n!}{x(x+1)...(x+n)}

Thank Matt so very much for your suggestions, :smile:
 
Last edited:
that seems about right:

let P=x(x+1)(x+2)...(x+n) and let P(r) be P, but where you omit the factor (x+r)

then you want to work out
{P(0) -P(1)nC1 + P(2)nC2 ...)/P

if you work out the coeff of x^s in the bracket you see lots of things happening:

x^(n-1) has coeff the alternating sum of all the binom coeffs, so it's zero,
x^0 is just the constant term in P(0), cos all the other terms P(s) have a factor of x in them. you should tidy up that to work for all coeffs
 
matt grime said:
that seems about right:

let P=x(x+1)(x+2)...(x+n) and let P(r) be P, but where you omit the factor (x+r)

then you want to work out
{P(0) -P(1)nC1 + P(2)nC2 ...)/P

if you work out the coeff of x^s in the bracket you see lots of things happening:

x^(n-1) has coeff the alternating sum of all the binom coeffs, so it's zero,
x^0 is just the constant term in P(0), cos all the other terms P(s) have a factor of x in them. you should tidy up that to work for all coeffs
Oh Well, That is really great, I have just learned new things from you, Matt. :sm:

Thank Matt very much...
 
Insights auto threads is broken atm, so I'm manually creating these for new Insight articles. In Dirac’s Principles of Quantum Mechanics published in 1930 he introduced a “convenient notation” he referred to as a “delta function” which he treated as a continuum analog to the discrete Kronecker delta. The Kronecker delta is simply the indexed components of the identity operator in matrix algebra Source: https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/what-exactly-is-diracs-delta-function/ by...
Fermat's Last Theorem has long been one of the most famous mathematical problems, and is now one of the most famous theorems. It simply states that the equation $$ a^n+b^n=c^n $$ has no solutions with positive integers if ##n>2.## It was named after Pierre de Fermat (1607-1665). The problem itself stems from the book Arithmetica by Diophantus of Alexandria. It gained popularity because Fermat noted in his copy "Cubum autem in duos cubos, aut quadratoquadratum in duos quadratoquadratos, et...
Thread 'Imaginary Pythagorus'
I posted this in the Lame Math thread, but it's got me thinking. Is there any validity to this? Or is it really just a mathematical trick? Naively, I see that i2 + plus 12 does equal zero2. But does this have a meaning? I know one can treat the imaginary number line as just another axis like the reals, but does that mean this does represent a triangle in the complex plane with a hypotenuse of length zero? Ibix offered a rendering of the diagram using what I assume is matrix* notation...
Back
Top