Polynomials (Leaving Cert Mathematics): Revision Notes

Polynomials

A polynomial in one variable (such as $x$) can be written in the general form :

where $a_n, a_{n-1}, ..., a_0$ are real numbers known as coefficients. $n$ is a non-negative integer that represents the degree of the polynomial.

The following are some examples of polynomials :

Each of the following polynomials have degree 3, 2 and 0 respectively.