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In this section students will:
  • Identify the degree and leading coefficient of polynomials.
  • Add and subtract polynomials.
  • Multiply polynomials.
  • Use FOIL to multiply binomials.
  • Perform operations with polynomials of several variables.

Earl is building a doghouse, whose front is in the shape of a square topped with a triangle. There will be a rectangular door through which the dog can enter and exit the house. Earl wants to find the area of the front of the doghouse so that he can purchase the correct amount of paint. Using the measurements of the front of the house, shown in [link] , we can create an expression that combines several variable terms, allowing us to solve this problem and others like it.

Sketch of a house formed by a square and a triangle based on the top of the square. A rectangle is placed at the bottom center of the square to mark a doorway. The height of the door is labeled: x and the width of the door is labeled: 1 foot. The side of the square is labeled: 2x. The height of the triangle is labeled: 3/2 feet.

First find the area of the square in square feet.

A = s 2 = ( 2 x ) 2 = 4 x 2

Then find the area of the triangle in square feet.

A = 1 2 b h =    1 2 ( 2 x ) ( 3 2 ) =    3 2 x

Next find the area of the rectangular door in square feet.

A = l w = x 1 = x

The area of the front of the doghouse can be found by adding the areas of the square and the triangle, and then subtracting the area of the rectangle. When we do this, we get 4 x 2 + 3 2 x x ft 2 , or 4 x 2 + 1 2 x ft 2 .

In this section, we will examine expressions such as this one, which combine several variable terms.

Identifying the degree and leading coefficient of polynomials

The formula just found is an example of a polynomial    , which is a sum of or difference of terms, each consisting of a variable raised to a nonnegative integer power. A number multiplied by a variable raised to an exponent, such as 384 π , is known as a coefficient    . Coefficients can be positive, negative, or zero, and can be whole numbers, decimals, or fractions. Each product a i x i , such as 384 π w , is a term of a polynomial    . If a term does not contain a variable, it is called a constant .

A polynomial containing only one term, such as 5 x 4 , is called a monomial    . A polynomial containing two terms, such as 2 x 9 , is called a binomial    . A polynomial containing three terms, such as −3 x 2 + 8 x 7 , is called a trinomial    .

We can find the degree    of a polynomial by identifying the highest power of the variable that occurs in the polynomial. The term with the highest degree is called the leading term    because it is usually written first. The coefficient of the leading term is called the leading coefficient    . When a polynomial is written so that the powers are descending, we say that it is in standard form.

A polynomial reading: a sub n times x to the nth power plus and so on plus a sub 2 times x squared plus a sub one times x plus a subzero is shown. The a in the term a sub n is labeled: leading coefficient. The n in the term x to the nth power is labeled: degree. Finally, the entire term is labeled as: Leading term.

Polynomials

A polynomial    is an expression that can be written in the form

a n x n + ... + a 2 x 2 + a 1 x + a 0

Each real number a i is called a coefficient    . The number a 0 that is not multiplied by a variable is called a constant . Each product a i x i is a term of a polynomial    . The highest power of the variable that occurs in the polynomial is called the degree    of a polynomial. The leading term    is the term with the highest power, and its coefficient is called the leading coefficient    .

Given a polynomial expression, identify the degree and leading coefficient .

  1. Find the highest power of x to determine the degree.
  2. Identify the term containing the highest power of x to find the leading term.
  3. Identify the coefficient of the leading term.

Questions & Answers

A golfer on a fairway is 70 m away from the green, which sits below the level of the fairway by 20 m. If the golfer hits the ball at an angle of 40° with an initial speed of 20 m/s, how close to the green does she come?
Aislinn Reply
cm
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A mouse of mass 200 g falls 100 m down a vertical mine shaft and lands at the bottom with a speed of 8.0 m/s. During its fall, how much work is done on the mouse by air resistance
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Jude
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what is inorganic
emma
Chemistry is a branch of science that deals with the study of matter,it composition,it structure and the changes it undergoes
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A ball is thrown straight up.it passes a 2.0m high window 7.50 m off the ground on it path up and takes 1.30 s to go past the window.what was the ball initial velocity
Krampah Reply
2. A sled plus passenger with total mass 50 kg is pulled 20 m across the snow (0.20) at constant velocity by a force directed 25° above the horizontal. Calculate (a) the work of the applied force, (b) the work of friction, and (c) the total work.
Sahid Reply
you have been hired as an espert witness in a court case involving an automobile accident. the accident involved car A of mass 1500kg which crashed into stationary car B of mass 1100kg. the driver of car A applied his brakes 15 m before he skidded and crashed into car B. after the collision, car A s
Samuel Reply
can someone explain to me, an ignorant high school student, why the trend of the graph doesn't follow the fact that the higher frequency a sound wave is, the more power it is, hence, making me think the phons output would follow this general trend?
Joseph Reply
Nevermind i just realied that the graph is the phons output for a person with normal hearing and not just the phons output of the sound waves power, I should read the entire thing next time
Joseph
Follow up question, does anyone know where I can find a graph that accuretly depicts the actual relative "power" output of sound over its frequency instead of just humans hearing
Joseph
"Generation of electrical energy from sound energy | IEEE Conference Publication | IEEE Xplore" ***ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7150687?reload=true
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Magreth
progressive wave
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Mujahid
A string is 3.00 m long with a mass of 5.00 g. The string is held taut with a tension of 500.00 N applied to the string. A pulse is sent down the string. How long does it take the pulse to travel the 3.00 m of the string?
yasuo Reply
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Source:  OpenStax, Algebra and trigonometry. OpenStax CNX. Nov 14, 2016 Download for free at https://legacy.cnx.org/content/col11758/1.6
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