Quizzes
Understanding Polynomials: What are Terms in Polynomials?
In the study of algebra, polynomials are one of the most fundamental concepts. A polynomial is an expression that consists of variables and coefficients that are combined using the basic arithmetic operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
In this video, we will focus on one of the essential building blocks of a polynomial, which is a term. A term is a part of a polynomial that can be a constant, a variable, or a product of a coefficient and a variable. A constant is a number by itself, while a variable is a letter or symbol that represents a value that can change.
For example, the expression “3” is a constant term, “x” is a variable term, and “3x” is a product term, where 3 is the coefficient, and x is the variable. It is important to note that a term does not contain any arithmetic operation such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division.
To determine the number of terms in a polynomial, one can look out for the addition and subtraction signs that separate each term. For instance, the polynomial expression “3 – x + 3x + 3x^2” has three terms since there are two addition signs that separate the terms.
In summary, a polynomial is composed of one or more terms that are combined using basic arithmetic operations. Terms can be constant, variable, or product terms, and the number of terms in a polynomial can be determined by identifying the addition and subtraction signs that separate them.
