Polynomial

What is a Polynomial?
Polynomial is made up of two terms, namely Poly (meaning “many”) and Nominal (meaning “terms.”). A polynomial
is defined as an expression which is composed of variables, constants and exponents, that are combined using
mathematical operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division (No division operation by a
variable). Based on the number of terms present in the expression.

It is classified as monomial, binomial, and trinomial. Examples of constants, variables and exponents are as follows:

 Constants. Example: 1, 2, 3, etc.

 Variables. Example: g, h, x, y, etc.
 Exponents: Example: 5 in x5 etc.

Standard Form of a Polynomial

P(x) = anxn + an-1xn-1 +an-2xn-2 + ………………. + a1x + a0

Where an, an-1, an-2, ……………………, a1, a0 are called coefficients of xn, xn-1, xn-2, ….., x and constant term respectively
and it should belong to real number (⋲ R).

Notation
The polynomial function is denoted by P(x) where x represents the variable. For example,

P(x) = x2-5x+11

If the variable is denoted by a, then the function will be P(a)

Degree of a Polynomial
The degree of a polynomial is defined as the highest exponent of a monomial within a polynomial. Thus, a
polynomial equation having one variable which has the largest exponent is called a degree of the polynomial.

Polynomial Degree Example

Zero Polynomial Not Defined 6

Constant 0 P(x) = 6

Linear Polynomial 1 P(x) = 3x+1

Quadratic Polynomial 2 P(x) = 4x2+1x+1

 Polynomial Degree Example

Cubic Polynomial 3 P(x) = 6x3+4x2+3x+1

Quartic Polynomial 4 P(x) = 6x4+3x3+3x2+2x+1

Example : Find the degree of the polynomial P(x) = 6s4+ 3x2+ 5x +19

Solution :

Terms of a Polynomial
The terms of polynomials are the parts of the expression that are generally separated by “+” or “-” signs. So, each part
of a polynomial in an expression is a term. For example, in a polynomial, say, 2x2 + 5 +4, the number of terms will be
3. The classification of a polynomial is done based on the number of terms in it.

Polynomial Terms Degree

P(x) = x3-2x2+3x+4 x3, -2x2, 3x and 4 3

Types of Polynomials
Depending upon the number of terms, polynomials are divided into the following categories:

 Monomial
 Binomial
 Trinomial
 Polynomial containing 4 terms (Quadronomial)
 Polynomial containing 5 terms (pentanomial ) and so on …

These polynomials can be combined using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division but is never divided by a
variable. A few examples of Non Polynomials are: 1/x+2, x-3

Monomial
A monomial is an expression which contains only one term. For an expression to be a monomial, the single term
should be a non-zero term. A few examples of monomials are:

 5x
 3
 6a4
 -3xy
Binomial
A binomial is a polynomial expression which contains exactly two terms. A binomial can be considered as a sum or
difference between two or more monomials. A few examples of binomials are:

 – 5x+3,
 6a4 + 17x
 xy2+xy

Trinomial
A trinomial is an expression which is composed of exactly three terms. A few examples of trinomial expressions are:

 – 8a4+2x+7
 4x2 + 9x + 7

Monomial Binomial Trinomial

One Term Two terms Three terms

Example: x, 3y, 29, x/2 Example: x2+x, x3-2x, y+2 Example: x2+2x+20

Question 1: Identify the Monomial, Binomial, Trinomial, Polynomial, and

Multinomial from the following:

a) 5pq b) 3b + 5c

c) x + y + z d) a2+ 2b

Properties
Some of the important properties of polynomials along with some important polynomial theorems are as follows:

Property 1: Division Algorithm

If a polynomial P(x) is divided by a polynomial G(x) results in quotient Q(x) with remainder R(x), then,

P(x) = G(x) • Q(x) + R(x)

Where R(x)=0 or the degree of R(x) < the degree of G(x)

Property 2: Bezout’s Theorem

Polynomial P(x) is divisible by binomial (x – a) if and only if P(a) = 0.
Property 3: Remainder Theorem
If P(x) is divided by (x – a) with remainder r, then P(a) = r.

Property 4: Factor Theorem

A polynomial P(x) divided by Q(x) results in R(x) with zero remainders if and only if Q(x) is a factor of P(x).

Learn More: Factor Theorem

Property 5: Intermediate Value Theorem

If P(x) is a polynomial, and P(x) ≠ P(y) for (x < y), then P(x) takes every value from P(x) to P(y) in the closed
interval [x, y].

Learn More: Intermediate Value Theorem

Property 6
The addition, subtraction and multiplication of polynomials P and Q result in a polynomial where,

Degree(P ± Q) ≤ Degree(P or Q)

Degree(P × Q) = Degree(P) + Degree(Q)

Property 7
If a polynomial P is divisible by a polynomial Q, then every zero of Q is also a zero of P.

Property 8
If a polynomial P is divisible by two co-prime polynomials Q and R, then it is divisible by (Q • R).

Property 9
If P(x) = a0 + a1x + a2x2 + …… + anxn is a polynomial such that deg(P) = n ≥ 0 then, P has at most “n” distinct roots.

Property 10: Descartes’ Rule of Sign

The number of positive real zeroes in a polynomial function P(x) is the same or less than by an even number as the
number of changes in the sign of the coefficients. So, if there are “K” sign changes, the number of roots will be “k” or
“(k – a)”, where “a” is some even number.

Property 11: Fundamental Theorem of Algebra

Every non-constant single-variable polynomial with complex coefficients has at least one complex zero.

Property 12
If P(x) is a polynomial with real coefficients and has one complex zero (x = a – bi), then x = a + bi will also be a zero
of P(x). Also, x2 – 2ax + a2 + b2 will be a factor of P(x).
Polynomial Equations
Polynomial equations are those expressions which are made up of multiple constants and variables. The standard
form of writing a polynomial equation is to put the highest degree first and then, at last, the constant term. An
example of a polynomial equation is:

0 = a4 +3a3 -2a2 +a +1

Polynomial Functions
A polynomial function is an expression constructed with one or more terms of variables with constant exponents. If
there are real numbers denoted by a, then function with one variable and of degree n can be written as:

f(x) = a0xn + a1xn-1 + a2xn-2 + ….. + an-2x2 + an-1x + an

Solving Polynomials
Any polynomial can be easily solved using basic algebra and factorization concepts. While solving the polynomial
equation, the first step is to set the right-hand side as 0. The explanation of a polynomial solution is explained in two
different ways:

 Solving Linear Polynomials

 Solving Quadratic Polynomials

Solving Linear Polynomials

Getting the solution of linear polynomials is easy and simple. First, isolate the variable term and make the equation as
equal to zero. Then solve as basic algebra operation. An example of finding the solution of a linear equation is given
below:

Example: Solve: 3x – 9 = 0

Solution:

Solving Quadratic Polynomials

To solve a quadratic polynomial, first, rewrite the expression in the descending order of degree. Then, equate the
equation and perform polynomial factorization to get the solution of the equation. An example to find the solution of
a quadratic polynomial is given below for better understanding.

Example: Solve 3x2 – 6x + x3 – 18

Solution:
Polynomial Operations
There are four main polynomial operations which are:

 Addition of Polynomials
 Subtraction of Polynomials
 Multiplication of Polynomials
 Division of Polynomials

Each of the operations on polynomials is explained below using examples.

Addition of Polynomials
To add polynomials, always add the like terms, i.e. the terms having the same variable and power. The addition of
polynomials always results in a polynomial of the same degree. For example,

Example: Find the sum of two polynomials: 5x3+3x2y+4xy−6y2, 3x2+7x2y−2xy+4xy2−5

Solution:

Subtraction of Polynomials
Subtracting polynomials is similar to addition, the only difference being the type of operation. So, subtract the like
terms to obtain the solution. It should be noted that subtraction of polynomials also results in a polynomial of the
same degree.

Example: Find the difference of two polynomials: 5x3+3x2y+4xy−6y2, 3x2+7x2y−2xy+4xy2−5

Solution:

Multiplication of Polynomials
Two or more polynomial when multiplied always result in a polynomial of higher degree (unless one of them is a
constant polynomial).

Example: Solve (6x−3y)×(2x+5y)

Solution:

Division of Polynomials
Division of two polynomial may or may not result in a polynomial. Let us study below the division of polynomials in
detail. To divide polynomials, follow the given steps:

Polynomial Division Steps:

If a polynomial has more than one term, we use long division method for the same. Following are the steps for it.

1. Write the polynomial in descending order.

2. Check the highest power and divide the terms by the same.
3. Use the answer in step 2 as the division symbol.
4. Now subtract it and bring down the next term.
5. Repeat steps 2 to 4 until you have no more terms to carry down.
6. Note the final answer, including remainder, will be in the fraction form (last subtract term).

Zeros of a polynomial

For a polynomial, there could be some values of the variable for which the polynomial will be zero. These values are
called zeros of a polynomial. Sometimes, they are also referred to as roots of the polynomials. In general, we find
the zeros of quadratic equations, to get the solutions for the given equation.

The standard form of a polynomial in x is anxn + an-1xn-1 +….. + a1x + a0, where an, an-1, ….. , a1, a0 are constants, an ≠0 and
n is a whole number.

For example, algebraic expressions such as √x + x + 5, x2 + 1/x2 are not polynomials because all exponents of x in
terms of the expressions are not whole numbers.

How to Find Zeros of Polynomials

Zeros of a polynomial can be defined as the points where the polynomial becomes zero as a whole. A polynomial
having value zero (0) is called zero polynomial. The degree of a polynomial is the highest power of the variable x.

 A polynomial of degree 1 is known as a linear polynomial.

The standard form is ax + b, where a and b are real numbers and a≠0.
2x + 3 is a linear polynomial.
 A polynomial of degree 2 is known as a quadratic polynomial.
Standard form is ax2 + bx + c, where a, b and c are real numbers and a ≠ 0
x2+ 3x + 4 is an example for quadratic polynomial.
 Polynomial of degree 3 is known as a cubic polynomial.
Standard form is ax3+ bx2 + cx + d, where a, b, c and d are real numbers and a≠0.
x3 + 4x + 2 is an example for cubic polynomial.

Similarly,

y6 + 3y4 + y is a polynomial in y of degree 6.

Points to remember:

 ‘0’ could be a zero of polynomial but it is not necessarily a zero has to be ‘0’ only.
 All the linear polynomials have only one zero.
 The zeros of the polynomial, depend on its degree.

Formula
Consider, P(x) = 4x + 5 to be a linear polynomial in one variable.
Let ‘a’ be zero of P(x), then,

P(a) = 4k+5 = 0

Therefore, k = -5/4

In general, if k is zero of the linear polynomial in one variable: P(x) = ax +b, then;

P(k) = ak+b = 0

k = -b/a

It can also be written as,

Zero of Polynomial K = -(Constant/ Coefficient of x)

Note: In general; if P(x) is a polynomial in x and k is any real number, then the value of P(k) at x = k is denoted
by P(k) is found by replacing x by k in P(x).

Example : What is the value of ‘a’ if degree of polynomial, x3 + xa-4 + x2 + 1, is 4?

Polynomial Identities

1. (x + y)2= x2 + 2xy + y2
2. (x – y)2= x2 – 2xy + y2
3. x2– y2 = (x + y)(x – y)
4. (x + a)(x + b) = x2+ (a + b)x + ab
5. (x + y + z)2= x2 + y2 + c2 + 2xy + 2yz + 2zx
6. (x + y)3= x3 + y3 + 3xy (x + y)
7. (x – y)3= x3 – y3 – 3xy (x – y)
8. x3+ y3 = (x + y)(x2 – xy + y2)
9. x3– y3 = (x – y)(x2 + xy + y2)
10. x3+ y3 + z3 – 3xyz = (x + y + z)(x2 + y2 + z2 – xy – yz – zx)

Modulus FunctionModulu Polynomial Examples

 tionZeros Of p

1. The
polynomial px 2 + qx + rx 4 + 5 is of type of which polynomial ?
2. Find the zero of the polynomial p(x) = 2x + 5

3. Find the value of k, if (x – 1) is a factor of 4x 3 + 3x 2 – 4x + k.

4. Find the degree of polynomial .
5. If x + y = 3, x 2 + y 2 = 5 then Find xy.
6. If x + 2 is a factor of x 3 – 2ax 2 + 16, then Find the value of a.

7. If one of the factor of x 2 + x – 20 is (x + 5). Find the other

7. What is the coefficient of x3 in a polynomial 6x4 + 3x2 + 8x + 5?

8. What is the degree of a polynomial of 4x7+9x5+5x2+11?

9) x2 – x is ________ polynomial.

10) x – x3 is a ________ polynomial.

11) 1+3x is a _________ polynomial.

12) Find The value of f(x) = 5x−4x2+3 when x = -1.

13) The value of p(t) = 2+t+2t2−t3 when t=0 is

Find the quadratic polynomial, whose zeroes are -3 and 4.
Modulus Function
Modulus Function