OCR MEI Paper 3 2022 June — Question 7

Exam BoardOCR MEI
ModulePaper 3 (Paper 3)
Year2022
SessionJune
TopicGeneralised Binomial Theorem
TypeComposite substitution expansion

7 A student is trying to find the binomial expansion of \(\sqrt { 1 - x ^ { 3 } }\).
She gets the first three terms as \(1 - \frac { x ^ { 3 } } { 2 } + \frac { x ^ { 6 } } { 8 }\).
She draws the graphs of the curves \(y = \sqrt { 1 - x ^ { 3 } } , y = 1 - \frac { x ^ { 3 } } { 2 }\) and \(y = 1 - \frac { x ^ { 3 } } { 2 } + \frac { x ^ { 6 } } { 8 }\) using software.
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  1. Explain why \(1 - \frac { x ^ { 3 } } { 2 } + \frac { x ^ { 6 } } { 8 } \geqslant 1 - \frac { x ^ { 3 } } { 2 }\) for all values of \(x\).
  2. Explain why the graphs suggest that the student has made a mistake in the binomial expansion.
  3. Find the first four terms in the binomial expansion of \(\sqrt { 1 - x ^ { 3 } }\).
  4. State the set of values of \(x\) for which the binomial expansion in part (c) is valid.
  5. Sketch the curve \(y = 2.5 \sqrt { 1 - x ^ { 3 } }\) on the grid in the Printed Answer Booklet. \section*{(f) In this question you must show detailed reasoning.} The end of a bus shelter is modelled by the area between the curve \(\mathrm { y } = 2.5 \sqrt { 1 - x ^ { 3 } }\), the lines \(x = - 0.75 , x = 0.75\) and the \(x\)-axis. Lengths are in metres. Calculate, using your answer to part (c), an approximation for the area of the end of the bus shelter as given by this model.