Analyzing the Setup
The polynomial is given by
P(x)=(1+x+x2)10. It can be expressed as the sum of its coefficients:
P(x)=a0+a1x+a2x2+⋯+a20x20
Our objective is to determine the value of
k in the relation:
(a1+a3+⋯+a19)−11a2=121k
The Odd Sum Mystery
To isolate the sum of the odd-indexed coefficients, we utilize the substitution method by evaluating P(x) at x=1 and x=−1.
At
x=1:
P(1)=(1+1+12)10=310=59049
This yields the equation:
a0+a1+a2+⋯+a20=59049
At
x=−1:
P(−1)=(1−1+(−1)2)10=110=1
This yields the equation:
a0−a1+a2−a3+⋯+a20=1
Subtracting the second equation from the first eliminates the even-indexed terms:
P(1)−P(−1)=2(a1+a3+⋯+a19)=59049−1=59048
Dividing by
2, we find the sum of the odd coefficients:
(a1+a3+⋯+a19)=29524
The Surgical Extraction of a2
To find
a2 without full expansion, we rewrite the polynomial as
(1+(x+x2))10 and apply the Binomial Theorem:
P(x)=r=0∑10(r10)(x+x2)r
We only need the coefficient of x2:
1. For r=1, the term is (110)(x+x2), which contributes 10x2.
2. For r=2, the term is (210)(x+x2)2=45(x2+2x3+x4), which contributes 45x2.
Terms with
r>2 result in powers of
x higher than
x2. Thus, the coefficient
a2 is:
a2=10+45=55
The Final Convergence
We now substitute our derived values into the target equation:
29524−11(55)=121k
Calculating the product:
11×55=605
29524−605=28919
Finally, we solve for
k:
28919=121k
k=12128919=239
The final value is k=239.