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Key Terms

binomial
A binomial is a polynomial with exactly two terms.
conjugate pair
A conjugate pair is two binomials of the form (ab),(a+b)(ab),(a+b); the pair of binomials each have the same first term and the same last term, but one binomial is a sum and the other is a difference.
degree of a constant
The degree of any constant is 0.
degree of a polynomial
The degree of a polynomial is the highest degree of all its terms.
degree of a term
The degree of a term is the exponent of its variable.
monomial
A monomial is a term of the form axmaxm, where aa is a constant and mm is a whole number; a monomial has exactly one term.
negative exponent
If nn is a positive integer and a0a0, then an=1anan=1an.
polynomial
A polynomial is a monomial, or two or more monomials combined by addition or subtraction.
scientific notation
A number is expressed in scientific notation when it is of the form a×10na×10n where a1anda<10a1anda<10 and nn is an integer.
standard form
A polynomial is in standard form when the terms of a polynomial are written in descending order of degrees.
trinomial
A trinomial is a polynomial with exactly three terms.
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