Find the constant term in the binomial expansion \((2x^{2} + \frac{1}{x})^{9}\)

Find the constant term in the binomial expansion \((2x^{2} + \frac{1}{x})^{9}\)

Answer Details

The constant term in a binomial expansion is the term that has no variable or a variable raised to the power of zero. To find the constant term in \((2x^{2} + \frac{1}{x})^{9}\), we need to look for the term that has no \(x\) or a \(x\) raised to the power of zero. To obtain the constant term, we need to choose the constant terms from each of the factors in the expansion, which are \(2x^2\) and \(\frac{1}{x}\), in such a way that their product is raised to a power that adds up to 9. In other words, we need to choose the constant terms that multiply to give a coefficient in the expansion of \((2x^2)^m (\frac{1}{x})^{9-m}\) that is independent of \(x\). The constant term in the expansion of \((2x^2)^m (\frac{1}{x})^{9-m}\) is \(\binom{9}{m}(2x^2)^m (\frac{1}{x})^{9-m}\), where \(\binom{9}{m}\) is the binomial coefficient that represents the number of ways to choose \(m\) items out of 9. For the constant term, we need to choose \(m\) such that the powers of \(x\) in the two factors add up to zero. That is, \begin{align*} 2m - (9-m) &= 0 \\ \Rightarrow m &= \frac{9}{3} \\ \Rightarrow m &= 3 \end{align*} Therefore, the constant term in the expansion of \((2x^2 + \frac{1}{x})^9\) is \(\binom{9}{3}(2x^2)^3 (\frac{1}{x})^6\). Plugging in the values, we get: \begin{align*} \binom{9}{3}(2x^2)^3 (\frac{1}{x})^6 &= \frac{9!}{3!6!}(2^3x^6)(\frac{1}{x^6}) \\ &= 84(8) \\ &= 672 \end{align*} Therefore, the constant term in the binomial expansion of \((2x^2 + \frac{1}{x})^9\) is \boxed{672}.