Analyzing the Setup
We are tasked with evaluating the relationship between two sums involving binomial coefficients:
Sn=∑r=0nnCr1 and tn=∑r=0nnCrr.
While expanding the binomial coefficients is a valid algebraic approach, it is often computationally heavy. In JEE Advanced mathematics, identifying structural symmetry is a far more efficient strategy.
The Mirror Image
The core of this problem lies in the fundamental property of binomial coefficients:
nCr=nCn−r
Think of this as a mirror. If you examine any row of Pascal's triangle, it reads the same from left to right as it does from right to left. This is not merely a coincidence; it is a structural reality of how we choose items from a set.
The Reversal Trick
Consider the sum tn=∑r=0nnCrr. We can utilize the property that the sum of a function over a range remains invariant if we reverse the order of summation.
By replacing
r with
n−r, the expression becomes:
tn=r=0∑nnCn−rn−r
Applying the symmetry property
nCn−r=nCr to the denominator, we transform the expression into:
tn=r=0∑nnCrn−r
The Final Unveiling
We can now split this summation into two distinct parts:
tn=r=0∑nnCrn−r=0∑nnCrr
Observe that the first part is simply
n times our original sum
Sn, while the second part is exactly the original
tn we started with. This yields the elegant equation:
tn=nSn−tn
Rearranging the terms, we get 2tn=nSn. Dividing both sides by 2Sn, we arrive at the final result:
This problem demonstrates that the most complex-looking expressions often yield to simple, elegant symmetry. Always keep this reversal trick in your toolkit—it is a powerful strategy for solving many JEE-level problems.