# Difference between revisions of "1964 AHSME Problems/Problem 20"

## Problem 20

The sum of the numerical coefficients of all the terms in the expansion of $(x-2y)^{18}$ is:

$\textbf{(A)}\ 0\qquad \textbf{(B)}\ 1\qquad \textbf{(C)}\ 19\qquad \textbf{(D)}\ -1\qquad \textbf{(E)}\ -19$

## Solution

For any polynomial, even a polynomial with more than one variable, the sum of all the coefficients (including the constant, which is the coefficient of $x^0y^0$) is found by setting all variables equal to $1$. Note that we don't have to worry about whether a constant is a coefficient of an "invisible $x^0y^0$" term, because there is no such term here.

Setting $x=y=1$ gives $(-1)^{18}$, which is equal to $1$, which is answer $\boxed{\textbf{(B)}}$.

## See Also

 1964 AHSC (Problems • Answer Key • Resources) Preceded byProblem 19 Followed byProblem 21 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31 • 32 • 33 • 34 • 35 • 36 • 37 • 38 • 39 • 40 All AHSME Problems and Solutions

The problems on this page are copyrighted by the Mathematical Association of America's American Mathematics Competitions.

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