Product or quotient of expansions

Questions that require combining two binomial expansions (multiplying or dividing) before substitution to approximate a surd involving a product or quotient of roots.

2 questions

Edexcel PMT Mocks Q11
11. a. Find the binomial expansion of \(( 4 - x ) ^ { - \frac { 1 } { 2 } }\), up to and including the term in \(x ^ { 2 }\). Given that the binomial expansion of \(\mathrm { f } ( x ) = \sqrt { \frac { 1 + 2 x } { 4 - x } } , | x | < \frac { 1 } { 4 }\), is $$\frac { 1 } { 2 } + \frac { 9 } { 16 } x - A x ^ { 2 } + \cdots$$ b. Show that the value of the constant \(A\) is \(\frac { 45 } { 256 }\)
c. By substituting \(x = \frac { 1 } { 4 }\) into the answer for (b) find an approximate for \(\sqrt { 10 }\), giving your answer to 3 decimal places.
Edexcel Paper 1 2018 June Q11
  1. (a) Use binomial expansions to show that \(\sqrt { \frac { 1 + 4 x } { 1 - x } } \approx 1 + \frac { 5 } { 2 } x - \frac { 5 } { 8 } x ^ { 2 }\)
A student substitutes \(x = \frac { 1 } { 2 }\) into both sides of the approximation shown in part (a) in an attempt to find an approximation to \(\sqrt { 6 }\)
(b) Give a reason why the student should not use \(x = \frac { 1 } { 2 }\)
(c) Substitute \(x = \frac { 1 } { 11 }\) into $$\sqrt { \frac { 1 + 4 x } { 1 - x } } = 1 + \frac { 5 } { 2 } x - \frac { 5 } { 8 } x ^ { 2 }$$ to obtain an approximation to \(\sqrt { 6 }\). Give your answer as a fraction in its simplest form.