Poly means “many” and nomial means “terms”. All together polynomials are a combination of many terms. They are combined by using
Polynomials or NOT?
3xy² + 5x – 6y³ +9 It is a polynomial
Degree: The degree of a polynomial is the highest degree of its terms.
Example: Degree of the polynomial x
2 y
3+2x
2+7x+8 is 5
Degree |
Polynomial Name |
0 |
Constant |
1 |
Linear |
2 |
Quadratic |
3 |
Cubic |
4 |
Quartic |
5 |
Quintic |
Number of terms in a polynomial is 1

Monomial (Example: 4ap
3)
Number of terms in a polynomial is 2

Binomial (Example: 3y
2-8)
Number of terms in a polynomial is 3

Trinomial (Example: 3p+5ax
2+4)
Example: Select a polynomial from the following
(a)2/(x+2) (b) 1/x (c) -3p² +8/12 x (d) 4ap(-3)
Answer: c
Example 1: Evaluate 3x
3 +x
2 -2x -4 at x= -2
Answer: Replace x with -2
3(-2)2+ (-2)2 -2(-2) -4
= 3(-8) + 4 + 4 -4
= -24 + 4
= -20
Example 2: Simplify 2x
2 -5x +6 - x
2 +7x -12
Answer: Combining like terms
(2x2 - x2) + (-5x + 7x) + (6-12)
x2 + 2x - 6