Could you give me some hints, please, to the following problem.
Given $x \in \mathbb{R}$ such that $|x| < 1$. Prove by induction the following inequality for all $n \geq 2$:
$$(1-x)^n + (1+x)^n < 2^n$$
$1$ Basis:
$$n=2$$ $$(1-x)^2 + (1+x)^2 < 2^2$$ $$(1-2x+x^2) + (1+2x+x^2) < 2^2$$ $$2+2x^2 < 2^2$$ $$2(1+x^2) < 2^2$$ $$1+x^2 < 2$$ $$x^2 < 1 \implies |x| < 1$$
$2$ Induction Step: $n \rightarrow n+1$ $$(1-x)^{n+1} + (1+x)^{n+1} < 2^{n+1}$$
$$(1-x)(1-x)^n + (1+x)(1+x)^n < 2·2^n$$
I tried to split it into $3$ cases: $x=0$ (then it's true), $-1 Could you tell me please, how should I move on. And do I need a binomial theorem here? Thank you in advance.