Polynomial
GMAT glossary · GMAT
Definition
An algebraic expression that is a sum of terms, each a non-negative integer power of a variable times a coefficient.
Polynomial in plain English
A polynomial is just an expression built by adding together simple 'building-block' terms, where each term is a number times a variable raised to a whole-number power, like 3x^2 + 5x - 7. The key rules: the powers must be whole numbers (0, 1, 2, ldots), never negative or fractional, so no dividing by x or taking square roots of it. It's basically the family of the friendliest, most predictable algebra expressions, which is why so much of algebra is built around them.
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