General Characteristics of Polynomials

Front

What is a polynomial?

Back

A polynomial is a mathematical expression consisting of variables, coefficients, and non-negative integer exponents, combined using addition, subtraction, and multiplication.

Front

What is the degree of a polynomial?

Back

The degree of a polynomial is the highest power of the variable in the expression.

Front

What are the zeros of a polynomial?

Back

The zeros of a polynomial are the values of the variable that make the polynomial equal to zero; they are also known as roots or x-intercepts.

Front

How do you classify a polynomial by its degree?

Back

Polynomials can be classified as constant (degree 0), linear (degree 1), quadratic (degree 2), cubic (degree 3), and so on.

Front

What is a binomial?

Back

A binomial is a polynomial that consists of exactly two terms.

Front

What is a trinomial?

Back

A trinomial is a polynomial that consists of exactly three terms.

Front

What is the leading coefficient of a polynomial?

Back

The leading coefficient is the coefficient of the term with the highest degree in a polynomial.

Front

What is the end behavior of a polynomial function?

Back

The end behavior of a polynomial function describes how the function behaves as the input values approach positive or negative infinity.

Front

What is a turning point in a polynomial graph?

Back

A turning point is a point on the graph where the function changes direction from increasing to decreasing or vice versa.

Front

How many turning points can a polynomial have?

Back

A polynomial of degree n can have at most n-1 turning points.