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  • Perplex
    IB Math AAHL
    /
    Maclaurin
    /

    Maclaurin Series Basics

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    Exercises

    Key Skills

    Maclaurin Series Basics

    Learn to approximate complicated functions with polynomials and higher order derivatives.

    Want a deeper conceptual understanding? Try our interactive lesson!

    Exercises

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    Practice exam-style maclaurin series basics problems

    Key Skills

    General formula
    AHL 5.19

    Maclaurin series allow us to approximate arbitrary functions as polynomials.


    The Maclaurin series for a function ​f​ is given by

    ​
    f(x)=f(0)+xf′(0)+2!x2​f′′(0)+⋯📖
    ​


    In summation form:

    ​
    f(x)=n=0∑∞​n!f(n)(0)xn​🚫
    ​


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    e^x
    AHL 5.19

    The Maclaurin series for ​ex​ is

    ​
    ex=1+x+2!x2​+⋯📖
    ​
    sin(x)
    AHL 5.19

    The Maclaurin series for ​sinx​ is

    ​
    sinx=x−3!x3​+5!x5​−⋯📖
    ​
    cos(x)
    AHL 5.19

    The Maclaurin series for ​cosx​ is

    ​
    cosx=1−2!x2​+4!x4​−⋯📖
    ​
    ln(x+1)
    AHL 5.19

    The Maclaurin series for ​ln(x+1)​ is

    ​
    ln(x+1)=x−2x2​+3x3​−⋯📖
    ​
    arctan(x)
    AHL 5.19

    The Maclaurin series for ​arctanx​ is

    ​
    arctanx=x−3x3​+5x5​−⋯📖
    ​
    Binomial extension for rational exponents
    AHL AA 1.10

    The binomial theorem can be extended to expansions with rational exponents (​n∈Q​):

    ​
    (a+b)n=an(1+n(ab​)+2!n(n−1)​(ab​)2+⋯)📖
    ​