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Key Terms Chapter 06: Polynomials

  • Page ID
    101923
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    Binomial
    A binomial is a polynomial with exactly two terms.
    Conjugate Pair
    A conjugate pair is two binomials of the form \((a−b),(a+b)\); the pair of binomials each have the same first term and the same last term, but one binomial is a sum and the other is a difference.
    Degree of a Constant
    The degree of any constant is \(0\).
    Degree of a Polynomial
    The degree of a polynomial is the highest degree of all its terms.
    Degree of a Term
    The degree of a term is the exponent of its variable.
    Monomial
    A monomial is a term of the form \(ax^m\), where \(a\) is a constant and \(m\) is a whole number; a monomial has exactly one term.
    Negative Exponent
    If \(n\) is a positive integer and \(a≠0\), then \(a^{−n}=\frac{1}{a^n}\).
    Polynomial
    A polynomial is a monomial, or two or more monomials combined by addition or subtraction.
    Scientific Notation
    A number is expressed in scientific notation when it is of the form \(a×10^n\) where \(a≥1\) and \(a<10\) and \(n\) is an integer.
    Standard Form
    A polynomial is in standard form when the terms of a polynomial are written in descending order of degrees.
    Trinomial
    A trinomial is a polynomial with exactly three terms.
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