Polynomials are algebraic expressions consisting of terms with variables raised to whole number powers. They are classified by the number of terms as monomials (1 term), binomials (2 terms), or trinomials (3 terms). They are also classified by degree, which is the highest power of the variable. Lower degree polynomials are called constant (degree 0), linear (degree 1), quadratic (degree 2), cubic (degree 3), or quartic (degree 4). To add or subtract polynomials, like terms are combined.

1. Polynomials
 What is a polynomial?
 A polynomial is the sum or difference of a
collection of algebraic terms.
 A polynomial with one term is called a
monomial.
 A polynomial with two terms is called a
binomial .
 A polynomial with three terms is called a
trinomial.

2. Classifying Polynomials
 Polynomials are classified by the number of terms
and by degree.
 Classification by number of terms was given on
the previous slide. A polynomial with more than
three terms is referred to as a polynomial with
that many terms, for instance a polynomial with
four terms is called a polynomial with 4 terms.
 To classify polynomials by degree, look for the
greatest power in x.

3. Classifying Polynomials by
Degree
 A polynomial with a degree of zero is called a
constant.
 A polynomial with a degree of one is called
linear.
 A polynomial with a degree of two is called
quadratic.
 A polynomial with a degree of three is called
cubic.

4. Classify the following polynomials by
number of terms and degree.
 Ex 1 3x3 x binomial; cubic
 Ex 2 2 x4 5x 2 trinomial; quartic
 Ex 3 x 5 binomial; linear
 Ex 4 3x 2 monomial; quadratic

5. Adding and Subtracting
Polynomials
 To add and subtract polynomials, simply
combine like terms.
 Here is an example of addition:
2 x 2 3x 7 4 x 2 5 x 19
6 x 2 8 x 12
 Here is an example of subtraction:
2 2
3x 5 x 7 7 x 9 x 12
2
4x 4x 5