Final answer:
The third term in the binomial expansion of (3x + y^3)^4 is 18x^2 * y^6, which is obtained by applying the binomial theorem to the binomial expression.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the third term in the binomial expansion of (3x + y^3)^4, we use the binomial theorem, which provides a formula for expanding expressions raised to a power. The general binomial expansion is given by (a + b)^n = a^n + (n choose 1)a^(n-1)b + (n choose 2)a^(n-2)b^2 + ... + (n choose n)b^n. In this case, we want the third term, which corresponds to the k=2 term of the expansion (since the first term corresponds to k=0).
Following the formula for the binomial coefficient (n choose k) = n! / (k!(n-k)!) and binomial expansion, the third term is given by:
(4 choose 2) * (3x)^(4-2) * (y^3)^2 = (4*3/2*1) * 9x^2 * y^6 = 18x^2 * y^6.
Therefore, the third term in the binomial expansion of (3x + y^3)^4 is 18x^2 * y^6.