Try the Free Math Solver or Scroll down to Tutorials!

Enter expression, e.g. (x^2-y^2)/(x-y)

Enter expression, e.g. x^2+5x+6

Enter expression, e.g. (x+1)^3

Enter a set of expressions, e.g. ab^2,a^2b

Enter equation to solve, e.g. 2x+3=4

Enter equation to graph, e.g. y=3x^2-1

Depdendent Variable

Number of equations to solve:

Equ. #1:

Equ. #2:

Equ. #3:

Equ. #4:

Equ. #5:

Equ. #6:

Equ. #7:

Equ. #8:

Equ. #9:

Solve for:

Enter inequality to solve, e.g. 2x+3>4

Enter inequality to graph, e.g. y<3x^2-1

Dependent Variable

Number of inequalities to solve:

Ineq. #1:

Ineq. #2:

Ineq. #3:

Ineq. #4:

Ineq. #5:

Ineq. #6:

Ineq. #7:

Ineq. #8:

Ineq. #9:

Solve for:

Math solver on your site

Please use this form if you would like
to have this math solver on your website,
free of charge.

Name:

Email:

Your Website:

Msg:

Polynomial Expressions

A polynomial is an expression which involves various powers of a variable. Some examples are:
and 5. The general form for a polynomial is:

Here the coefficients (a's) can be any real number. The number n, which is an integer, is known as the degree of the polynomial.

EX. is a polynomial of degree 3, with leading coefficient 5, and constant term -2.
_____________________________________________________________

Classifying Polynomials

Polynomials can be classified based on the degree (largest power), or based on the number of terms.

1 term = monomial
2 terms = binomial
3 terms = trinomial
and so on…

EX. is a binomial of degree 5.

_____________________________________________________________

Basic Operations on Polynomials

Just like with numbers, we often want to add, subtract, multiply and divide polynomials.

Addition

Adding polynomials is simply collecting like terms

EX.

Subtraction:

To subtract two polynomials, you simply use the distributive law, then collect like terms.

EX.

Notice you distribute the minus sign.

Multiplication:

While adding and subtracting were fairly easy, multiply two polynomials can quickly become a headache. To multiply you must repeatedly apply the distributive law, then collect like terms.

EX.

Notice that the distributive law was applied four times to complete that single multiplication

Division:
Division will be covered when we go into Rational Expressions. Notice that if you add, subtract, or multiply two polynomials, you end up with a polynomial again. This is not always true for division, and this is the reason we postpone this topic.
_______________________________________________________________________

FOIL

There is a special case for multiplying polynomials, which occurs when you multiply a binomial times a binomial. In this case it is easier to use FOIL.

EX.