Addition and Subtraction of Polynomials Quiz and Flashcards

Study Notes

Polynomials are mathematical expressions consisting of variables raised to powers along with coefficients, exponents and constants. They form an important part of algebra, where they can represent relationships between different quantities. In this article, we will discuss various aspects of polynomials including their classification, degree, addition, subtraction, multiplication and factorization.

Types of Polynomials

A polynomial is a single expression involving one or more variables called indeterminate or unknowns, where each term consists of a coefficient followed by one or more identical factors and the exponent of each variable is a nonnegative integer. There are several types of polynomials based on the number of terms:

Monomial: A monomial has only one term, like 7x^3 + 4x - 2.
Binomial: A binomial has two terms, like x^2 + x + 1.
Trinomial: A trinomial has three terms, like ax^2 + bx + c.
Quadrinomial: A quadrinomial has four terms, like ax^3 + bx^2 + cx + d.
Multinomial: A multinomial has five or more terms, like ax^m + bx^(m-1) + ... + kx + l.

Degree of a Polynomial

The degree of a polynomial refers to the highest power among all the terms present in a polynomial. For example, consider the polynomial P(x) = 2x^3 - 3x^2 + 4x - 9. Here, the maximum power is 3, so the degree of the polynomial P(x) is 3.

If a polynomial has the form ax^n, it's said to have order n. So if a polynomial g(x) has the form ax^n (where 'a' is any constant), its degree is n.

Addition and Subtraction of Polynomials

Adding or subtracting polynomials involves simple arithmetic operations. To perform these operations, you just need to follow the distributive property of addition over multiplication:

For addition: (ax+by)+cz=ac+bc+azc

For subtraction: (ax-by)-cz=(a-c)x+(b-z)y

Here, a, b, c and z are coefficients and x and y are variables.

Multiplication of Polynomials

Multiplying two polynomials involves multiplying every term of one polynomial by every term of the other polynomial, and then combining the resulting terms. Let's consider the product of two quadratic polynomials P(x) = ax^2 + bx + c and Q(x) = dx^2 + ex + f. Their product would look like this:

P(x)*Q(x)=(ax^2+bx+c)(dx^2+ex+f)=adx^4+bdex^3+(ace+bef)x^2+(ade+beh)x+(cef)

This product will result in another polynomial with four terms.

Factorization of Polynomials

Factorizing a polynomial means finding a product of simpler polynomials such that the original polynomial is equal to the product of those simpler ones. For example, let's factorize the polynomial P(x) = x^2 + 4x + 4:

P(x)=(x+2)2=(x+2)(x+2)

So, P(x) = (x+2)^2, which is the product of two linear factors (x+2). This method helps simplify complex polynomials into simpler forms, making them easier to analyze and work with.

Description

Explore the world of polynomials in algebra, covering their classification as monomial, binomial, trinomial, and more. Learn about the degree of a polynomial, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and factorization operations with detailed examples and explanations.