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polynomial

 - 4 dictionary results

pol⋅y⋅no⋅mi⋅al

[pol-uh-noh-mee-uhl]
–adjective
1. consisting of or characterized by two or more names or terms.
–noun
2. Algebra.
a. (in one variable) an expression consisting of the sum of two or more terms each of which is the product of a constant and a variable raised to an integral power: ax2 + bx + c is a polynomial, where a, b, and c are constants and x is a variable.
b. a similar expression in more than one variable, as 4x2y3 − 3xy + 5x + 7.
c. Now Rare. Also called multinomial. any expression consisting of the sum of two or more terms, as 4x3 + cos x.
3. a polynomial name or term.
4. Biology. a species name containing more than two terms.

Origin:
1665–75; poly- + (bi)nomial
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To polynomial
pol·y·no·mi·al   (pŏl'ē-nō'mē-əl)   
adj.  Of, relating to, or consisting of more than two names or terms.
n.  
  1. A taxonomic designation consisting of more than two terms.

  2. Mathematics

    1. An algebraic expression consisting of one or more summed terms, each term consisting of a constant multiplier and one or more variables raised to integral powers. For example, x2 - 5x + 6 and 2p3q + y are polynomials. Also called multinomial.

    2. An expression of two or more terms.


[poly- + (bi)nomial.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Science Dictionary
polynomial   (pŏl'ē-nō'mē-əl)  Pronunciation Key 
An algebraic expression that is the sum of two or more monomials. The expressions x2 - 4 and 5x4 + 2x3 - x + 7 are both polynomials.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Computing Dictionary

polynomial
1. An arithmetic expression composed by summing multiples of powers of some variable.
P(x) = sum a_i x^i for i = 0 .. N
The multipliers, a_i, are known as "coefficients" and N, the highest power of x with a non-zero coefficient, is known as the "degree" of the polynomial. If N=0 then P(x) is constant, if N=1, P(x) is linear in x. N=2 gives a "quadratic" and N=3, a "cubic".
2. polynomial-time.

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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