the general formula for the expansion of any binomial when raised to a power that is a positive whole number; the expansion of (a + b): discovered by Omar Khayyám and generalized by Sir Isaac Newton (Ex.: (a + b) = a + 2ab + b)
See binomial theorem in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun Mathematics
The theorem that specifies the expansion of any power (a + b)m of a binomial (a + b) as a certain sum of products aibj, such as (a + b)2 = a2 + 2ab + b2.