Multiplying Polynomials

A polynomial is a mathematical expression consisting of variables (also called indeterminates) raised to whole number powers and coefficients. For example, $$2x^2 + 3x - 5$$ is a polynomial.

Multiplying polynomials involves using the distributive property to combine each term in one polynomial with each term in another polynomial.

The distributive property states that $$a(b + c) = ab + ac$$ . It allows you to multiply a single term by each term in a polynomial.

$$x^2 - 10x + 24$$ .

$$2x^2 + 9x - 5$$ .

$$x^2 - 8x + 12$$ .

$$-6x + 18$$ .

A binomial is a polynomial with exactly two terms, such as $$x + 5$$ or $$2x^2 - 3x$$ .

A trinomial is a polynomial with exactly three terms, such as $$x^2 + 2x + 1$$ .

The degree of a polynomial is the highest power of the variable in the polynomial. For example, in $$3x^4 + 2x^3 - x + 7$$ , the degree is 4.