6.1.1 Polynomials Key Objectives • Find the degree of polynomials. • Write polynomials in standard form. • Identify the leading coefficient of polynomials.
• Classify polynomials. • Evaluate polynomials. Key Terms • A monomial is a number or a product of numbers and variables with exponents that are whole numbers. • A binomial is a polynomial with two terms. • A trinomial is a polynomial with three terms. • A polynomial is one monomial or the sum or difference of monomials. • The degree of a monomial is the sum of the exponents of the variables in the monomial. • The degree of a polynomial is equal to the degree of the monomial in the polynomial with the greatest degree. • A polynomial in one variable is in standard form when the terms are written in descending order by degree. • A leading coefficient is the coefficient of the first term of a polynomial in standard form. A polynomial can be classified by its degree and the number of terms, as shown in the tables below. For example, a polynomial with degree 1 and two terms is a linear binomial. Identifying the degree of a polynomial is discussed in Example 1.
9
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online