Polynomials are Functions of the form \(f(x) = a_{n}x^{n} + a_{n-1}x^{n-1} + \ldots + a_{1}x + a_{0}\), where \(a_{n} \neq 0\) and \(n \in \mathbb Z\).
Higher order conventionally refers to any polynomial with a degree greater than quadratic.
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| leading term | The term with the highest power |
| leading coefficient | Leading term’s coefficient |
| monic | When the leading coefficient is 1 |
| degree | Index of the leading term (e.g. a cubic function is a polynomial of degree 3) |
| constant term | The term independent of \(x\) |