TITLE: In search of an alternative proof of a series expansion for $\log 2$
QUESTION [7 upvotes]: We all know the series expansion
$$\log 2=\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\frac{(-1)^{n-1}}n. \tag1$$
I also am able to use the method of Wilf-Zeilberger to the effect that
$$\log 2=3\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\frac{(-1)^{n-1}}{n\binom{2n}n2^n}.  \tag2$$

QUESTION. Can you provide yet another proof of the formula in (2)?

Remark. My motivation for this question goes beyond this particular series, hoping it paves a way forward in my study.
Postscript. After those generous replies (see below), it appears that the idea rests on
$$\log\left(1+\frac1x\right)=2\sinh^{-1}\left(\frac1{2\sqrt{x+x^2}}\right)$$
so that we may put $x=1$ to obtain (1) and (2).
To reveal the background: (2) is found from (1) by a "series acceleration" method which does not even stop there. In fact, stare at these two
\begin{align*}\log 2&=3\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\frac{14n-3}{\binom{2n}2\binom{4n}{2n}2^{2n+1}}, \tag3 \\
\log 2&=3\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}
\frac{(171n^2 - 111n + 14)(-1)^{n-1}}{\binom{3n}3\binom{6n}{3n}2^{3n+1}} 
\tag4 \end{align*}
One may now ask: can you furnish an alternative proof for the formulae (3) or (4)?

REPLY [13 votes]: Since you wish to develop techniques, you might want to consider the more general form
$$S_k=\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\frac{(-1)^{n-1}}{n^k\binom{2n}n2^n}.$$
The arcsine representation
$$\arcsin^2z=\frac12\sum_{n=1}^\infty\frac{(2z)^{2n}}{n^2{2n \choose n}}$$
directly gives
$$S_2=\tfrac{1}{2}\ln^2 2,$$
(substitute $z=2^{-3/2}i$), upon differentiation one finds
$$S_1=\tfrac{1}{3}\ln 2,$$
$$S_0=\tfrac{1}{9}+\tfrac{4}{27}\ln 2,$$
and upon integration,
$$S_3=\tfrac{1}{4}\zeta (3)-\tfrac{1}{6}\ln^3 2 ,$$
$$S_4=4\operatorname{Li}_4\left(\tfrac12\right)-\tfrac72\zeta(4)+\tfrac{13}4\ln2\zeta(3)-\ln^22\zeta(2)+\tfrac5{24}\ln^42.$$
This method apparently fails to give a closed form expression for $k>4$, see this MSE posting.

REPLY [11 votes]: Write the $n$-th term,
$(-1)^{n-1} \!\left/ \bigl(n {2n \choose n} 2^n\bigr) \right.$,
as the definite integral
$$
\frac14 \int_0^1 \left(-\,\frac{x-x^2}{2} \right)^{n-1} dx
$$
using the formula for the Beta integral
$B(n,n) = \int_0^1 (x-x^2)^{n-1} dx$.
Thus the sum over $n$ is
$$
\frac14 \int_0^1 \left( 1 + \frac{x-x^2}{2} \right)^{\!-1} dx
= \frac12 \int_0^1 \frac{dx}{2+x-x^2} \, dx,
$$
which is elementary: the denominator factors as $(1+x)(2-x)$,
so expand the integrand in partial fractions and integrate termwise,
obtaining
$$
\frac16  \int_0^1 \left(\frac1{x+1} + \frac1{2-x}\right) dx
= \frac16 (\log 2 + \log 2) = \frac13 \log 2,
$$
QED

REPLY [8 votes]: It is well known that
$$ 2\left(\sin^{-1}\frac{\sqrt{x}}{2}\right)^2 = \sum_{n\geq 1}
         \frac{x^n}{n^2{2n\choose n}}. $$
See e.g. here
or Enumerative Combinatorics, vol. 1, second ed., Exercise
1.173. Differentiate with respect to $x$, put $x=-1/2$, and use
$$ \sin^{-1}z = -i\log(iz+\sqrt{1-z^2}) $$
to deduce (2).