Polynomial
- An expression consisting of variables and coefficients
- Examples
- $x^2 - 4x + 7$
- $x^3 - 2xyz^2 - yz + 1$
- Examples
- Involves only addition, subtraction, multiplication, and non-negative integer exponentiation of variables
Degrees
- The degree of a polynomial $P(x)$ is the highest power of $x$ found in $P(x)$
- $x^2 - 4x + 7$ has a degree of $2$
- There is no formula to give us solutions for quintic degree polynomials
| Degree | Form | |
|---|---|---|
| Linear | 1 | $ax + b$ |
| Quadratic | 2 | $ax^2 + bx + c$ |
| Cubic | 3 | $ax^3 + bx^3 + cx + d$ |
| Quartic | 4 | $ax^4 + bx^3 + cx^2 + dx + e$ |
| Quintic | 5 | $ax^5 + bx^4 + cx^3 + dx^2 + ex + f$ |
| 6th degree | 6 | ... |
| 7th degree | 7 | ... |