Edexcel C12 2017 October — Question 11

Exam BoardEdexcel
ModuleC12 (Core Mathematics 1 & 2)
Year2017
SessionOctober
TopicBinomial Theorem (positive integer n)
TypeCoefficient zero after multiplying binomial

11. \(\mathrm { f } ( x ) = ( a - x ) ( 3 + a x ) ^ { 5 }\), where \(a\) is a positive constant
  1. Find the first 3 terms, in ascending powers of \(x\), in the binomial expansion of $$( 3 + a x ) ^ { 5 }$$ Give each term in its simplest form. Given that in the expansion of \(\mathrm { f } ( x )\) the coefficient of \(x\) is zero,
  2. find the exact value of \(a\).