WEEK

(Part 1)
8 APLAYA NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL Annex
Mathematics – Grade X

 POLYNOMIAL EQUATIONS 

An algebraic expression is any combination of variables and constants with mathematical

operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, powers and roots).

Definition
A polynomial function is a set P of ordered pairs (x, y) where
y = an x n + an – 1 x n – 1 + …+ a1 x + a0 , where n is a nonnegative
integer, that is n  0, and an , an – 1 , …, a0 are constants.

NOTE:
A polynomial function P, is therefore a function whose definition or rule associating x and y is a polynomial
P(x) = an xn + an – 1 xn – 1 + …+ a1 x + a0
Strictly speaking, a polynomial function is a set P of ordered pairs while a polynomial P(x) is an algebraic
expression. However, in practice, the two are used interchangeably. Thus, in what follows, we will not distinguish
between a polynomial function P and the polynomial P(x) that defines.
For the polynomial an xn + an – 1 xn – 1 + …+ a1 x + a0 with an ¹ 0, the numbers an , an – 1 , …, a0 are
called coefficients. The first term in the polynomial, when it is written in decreasing (or descending) order, is also
the term with the biggest exponent, and is called the "leading term", an , is the leading coefficient, an xn is
the leading term and a0 is the constant term. The polynomial is called monic if its leading coefficient an is 1.
The polynomial x3 + 3x2 – 5x + 7 is a monic polynomial. The exponent on a term tells you the "degree" of the
term. For instance, the leading term in the polynomial x 3 + 3x2 – 5x + 7 is a "third-degree term" or "a term of degree
three". The second term is a "second degree" term. The third term is a first degree. The degree of the leading term
tells you the degree of the whole polynomial or the degree of P(x); the polynomial above is a "third-degree
polynomial" (or deg P(x) = 3). If all the coefficients of P(x) are 0, then P(x) is called the zero polynomial.
Polynomial of low degree have special names:
Degree Name of Polynomial
1 Linear
2 quadratic
3 cubic
4 quartic
5 quintic

Characteristic of Polynomials

1) the exponent of each variable is a whole number;

2) the variable(s) are not in the denominator; and
3) the variable(s) do not appear under a radical or square root sign.
3𝑥 −2 This is NOT … because the variable has a negative exponent.
A polynomial term…
1 This is NOT … because the variable is in the denominator.
𝑥 2 A polynomial term…
√𝑥 This is NOT … because the variable is inside the radical sign.
A polynomial term…
4𝑥 2 This IS … because it obeys all the rules (characteristic)
a polynomial term…

Exercises:
A. Which of the following algebraic expressions define polynomial functions? Give your reason.
2
1) 𝑥 5 − 3𝑥 − 10 2) 𝑥 3 + 3𝑥 −1 + 1
3) 3𝑥 + 5 4) 0
5) 3𝑥 2 + √2 𝑥 + 1 6) 2𝑥 4 + 3√5𝑥 + 7

7) 5 8) 𝑥 −4 + 3𝑥 2 + 1
9) 6 − 𝑥 4 + 𝑥 2 10) 𝑥 3 − 3𝑥 2 − 10𝑥
B. Write each of the given expressions in descending powers of x. State the degree,
the leading coefficient and constant term.
𝑥3
1) 4 − 3𝑥 3 + 5𝑥 + 2𝑥 5 2) − 4𝑥 2 + 7 − 12𝑥
2
3) 𝑥 6 + 1 − 𝑥 2 + 9𝑥 − 7𝑥 3 4) 𝑥 − 2𝑥 7 + 3 − 𝑥 3 + 11𝑥
2

𝑥5
5) 5 − 𝑥 3 + 7𝑥 − 𝑥 6 + 9𝑥 2 6) 4𝑥 3 + 2𝑥 − − 3 + 9𝑥 2
6
7) 0𝑥 + 5 8) 3(4𝑥 7 + 9𝑥 2 − 5)
1 1
9) 3 (5 − 9𝑥 2 ) + 𝑥 − 5 10) 3 (6 − 9𝑥 2 + 3𝑥 − 12) − 7
 Classifying Algebraic Expressions
Algebraic expressions are classified according to the number of term(s) or to their degree (highest exponent).
An algebraic expression is an expression made up of one or more terms.
A term of an expression is a number (or constant), a variable, or a product or quotient of variables
and numbers. Terms are separated by the symbols + and – .
The algebraic expression 3x2 – x + 2 consists of three terms: 3x 2, – x, and 2.
In the term 3x2, 3 is called the numerical coefficient while x2 is called the literal coefficient.
In the term – x, the numerical coefficient is –1 and x is the literal coefficient.
The term 2 is called the constant, which is usually referred to as the term without a variable.
A numerical coefficient (or simply coefficient) is a constant multiplied to the left of a variable or series
of variables. Literal coefficient is/are the variable/s including its exponent.

Examples: In – 2x3, – 2 is the numerical coefficient and x 3 is the literal coefficient.

𝑥 4𝑦 1
𝐼𝑛 3 , is the numerical coefficient and x 4 y is the literal coefficient.
3

Classification of Polynomial according to the Number of Terms

1. Monomial – An algebraic expression with only one term. The prefix “mono” means “one”.
Examples: a) 3x b) 4y2 c) – 5 (constant monomial)
2. Binomial – An algebraic expression made up of two terms. The prefix “bi” means “two”.
Examples: a) x + 1 b) 4x2 – 9y2 c) x3 – y3
3. Trinomial – An algebraic expression made up of three terms. The prefix “tri” means “three”.
Examples: a) x2 + 5xy + 6y2 b)x4 – 2x2y2 + y4 c) x2 – 2xy + y2
4. Multinomial – An algebraic expression with many terms.
Examples: a) 2x4 – x3 – 16x2 – 3x + 18 b) 2x3 + x2 – 13x + 6
All these are called polynomials. Polynomial is a monomial or a sum or difference of monomials.
Degree is the highest exponent of the variable or the highest sum of the exponents of the variables in a term.
In 4x2 + 12x + 9, the degree is 2. In 2xy2 + 3x2y3 – x4y3, the degree is 7.

Degree: 2 1 0 Degree: 3 5 7

Classification of Polynomial according to their Degree

1. Constant – a polynomial of degree zero. Examples: a) 7 b) – 4

2. Linear – a polynomial of degree one. Examples: a) x + 1 b) x + y
3. Quadratic – a polynomial of degree two. Examples: a) 4x – 9y
2 2 b) x2 + 5x + 6
4. Cubic – a polynomial of degree three. Examples: a) x3 – y3 b) 2x3 + x2 – 13x + 6
5. Quartic – a polynomial of degree four. Examples: a) x4 – y4 b) 2x4 – x3 – 16x2 – 3x + 18
6. Quintic – a polynomial of degree five. Examples: a) x5 b) 4x5 – 3x4 – 5x3 + 4
The next degrees have no names yet so they are just called “polynomial of degree ___”.
A polynomial is in standard form if the terms are arranged in a decreasing powers (or exponents) or
descending order.
 If the polynomial is in standard form the first term is called the leading term, the numerical coefficient
of the leading term is called the leading coefficient.
The standard form of 16x2 + 2x4 – x3 + 18 – 3x is 2x4 – x3 + 16x2 – 3x + 18.

Note: 18 = 18 · x0 since x0 = 1

 The degree of 2x4 – x3 – 16x2 – 3x + 18 is 4.

The terms are arranged in descending order that is the exponents are decreasing from left to right (4, 3, 2, 1, 0).
The term 2x4 is the leading term, 2 is its leading coefficient. It is a quartic polynomial because the degree is 4.

Exercises:
A. Complete the table below. Identify the numerical coefficient and the literal coefficient in each of the
following expressions. Give the degree of each.

Kind of
Polynomial Kind of
Standard Leading according Polynomial
Polynomial Degree
Form Coefficient to the according
number to the degree
of terms
1) 6 − 𝑥 − 𝑥 2
2) 5 + 𝑥
3) 𝑥 3 + 2𝑥 5 − 5
4) − 3𝑥 2 + 𝑥 4 − 10
5) 𝑥 3 + 2𝑥 − 5 + 𝑥 2

B. Complete the table below.

Numerical Coefficient Literal Coefficient Degree

2
1) − 𝑥 2𝑦 3𝑧
5
2) 4𝑥𝑦𝑧
5
3) 𝑥𝑦 2
7
4) 32 𝑎3 𝑏𝑐
𝑥𝑦𝑧
5) −
4