Put your knowledge of binomial expansion and Pascal’s Triangle to the test with this fun Add Em Up Binomial Theorem Activity.
AP Precalculus Standard Addressed
This Add Em Up Activity is designed for AP Precalculus students working on topic 1.11 (Equivalent Representations of Polynomial and Rational Functions).
According to College Board’s Course and Exam Description, students are expected to “Rewrite the repeated product of binomials using the binomial theorem.”
Even though I created this activity with AP Precalculus in mind, it could be used in any math course which covers binomial expansion and Pascal’s Triangle. You might find my free printable Pascal’s Triangle templates to be useful during this unit as well.
AP PRECALCULUS RESOURCES
Teaching AP Precalculus this year? I have compiled all of my AP Precalculus activities in one handy spot for you to browse.
Add Em Up Activity Instructions and Options
Students are provided with four binomial theorem problems to answer. These four problems are laid out in a 2 x 2 grid with a circle at the center.
Each problem is gives students a binomial raised to a certain power. It then asks them to determine the coefficient of a specific term in the expanded polynomial. This task aligns with one of the sample problems provided by College Board for this topic.
Students must work all four problems and find the sum of their four answers. We call this the “Add Em Up” step.
There are two options for this activity. You can provide students with the template that tells them the sum that their answers should add up to.
The benefit of this option is it allows for students to self-check themselves. If their sum doesn’t equal 732, they need to rework their four problems and look for their mistake(s).
There is also a page provided that can be given to students that gives them a place to write in the sum after they find it. Students can then bring their sum to the teacher for verification.
Suggestions for Using in Class
This activity is meant to only take 5-10 minutes of class. It would make a great exit ticket activity or a “let’s see what you remember from yesterday” opening activity.
My school does a bit of a non-traditional set-up where students learn asynchronously on Mondays. My students will be teaching themselves to expand binomials by watching a Loom video I prepared for them.
I plan to use this on the very next day when they come in class to get a sense of how well they understood their “Digital Monday Lesson.”
I will be making a class set of these Add Em Up Activities and placing them in dry erase pockets for students to write on.
Free Download of Add Em Up Binomial Theorem Activity
This Binomial Theorem Activity is available to download in PDF format and as an editable PowerPoint file. You will need to unzip the folder in order to edit the PPT file.
Add Em Up Binomial Theorem Activity (PDF) (159 downloads )
Add Em Up Binomial Theorem Activity (PPT in ZIP Folder) (59 downloads )
Puzzle Solutions
I intentionally do not make answers to the printable math puzzles I share on my blog available online because I strive to provide learning experiences for my students that are non-google-able. I would like other teachers to be able to use these puzzles in their classrooms as well without the solutions being easily found on the Internet.
However, I do recognize that us teachers are busy people and sometimes need to quickly reference an answer key to see if a student has solved a puzzle correctly or to see if they have interpreted the instructions properly.
If you are a teacher who is using these puzzles in your classroom, please send me an email at sarah@mathequalslove.net with information about what you teach and where you teach. I will be happy to forward an answer key to you.