Study GuideAlgebra II–Polynomial Function1. Polynomial FunctionWhat Is a Polynomial Function?Apolynomial functionis a type of mathematical expression made up of variables and numberscombined usingaddition, subtraction, and multiplication.The general form of a polynomial function looks like this:Understanding the Parts•(x)is the variable.•(a0, a1, a2, … ,an)are numbers calledcoefficients.•(n)is awhole number(0, 1, 2, 3, …).•The highest power of (x) determines thedegreeof the polynomial.Polynomial functions are evaluated bysubstituting a number for the variable (x)and thensimplifying the expression.For example, if we replace (x) with4in (P(x)), we write it as:This means“find the value of the polynomial when (x = 4)”.Example 1:Evaluating a PolynomialSuppose we have the polynomial:Preview Mode
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