polynomial
consisting of or characterized by two or more names or terms.
Algebra.
(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.
a similar expression in more than one variable, as 4x2y3 − 3xy + 5x + 7.
Now Rare.Also called multinomial. any expression consisting of the sum of two or more terms, as 4x3 + cos x.
a polynomial name or term.
Biology. a species name containing more than two terms.
Origin of polynomial
1Words Nearby polynomial
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use polynomial in a sentence
Of course, the polynomial at issue in the proof is much more complicated than that.
Tetrahedron Solutions Finally Proved Decades After Computer Search | Kevin Hartnett | February 2, 2021 | Quanta MagazineTo solve those in a similar way, Wolfson thought, you could replace that cubic surface with some higher-dimensional “hypersurface” formed by those higher-degree polynomials in many variables.
Mathematicians Resurrect Hilbert’s 13th Problem | Stephen Ornes | January 14, 2021 | Quanta MagazineIn July, three computer scientists used a mathematical discipline called the geometry of polynomials to show that a modern algorithm is guaranteed to be at least infinitesimally more efficient than the long-standing best method.
The only multilinear maps researchers knew how to build securely were those that computed polynomials of degree 2 or less.
Computer Scientists Achieve ‘Crown Jewel’ of Cryptography | Erica Klarreich | November 10, 2020 | Quanta MagazineA second-order polynomial adds a term with x squared, third-order with x cubed, and so on.
Doubts over a ‘possible sign of life’ on Venus show how science works | Lisa Grossman | October 28, 2020 | Science News
The two dots at the end are frequently omitted when the part affected includes all the terms of the polynomial to the end.
William Oughtred | Florian CajoriIt was natural to inquire whether a similar theorem holds for integrals ∫R(s, z)dz wherein s is a cubic polynomial in z.
The last case arises when we consider the finite values of z for which the polynomial coefficient of sn vanishes.
But the polynomial method as a system was of short duration.
A Guide to the Study of Fishes, Volume 1 (of 2) | David Starr JordanThis polynomial expression was shortened by Linnæus to Zeus faber.
A Guide to the Study of Fishes, Volume 1 (of 2) | David Starr Jordan
British Dictionary definitions for polynomial
/ (ˌpɒlɪˈnəʊmɪəl) /
of, consisting of, or referring to two or more names or terms
a mathematical expression consisting of a sum of terms each of which is the product of a constant and one or more variables raised to a positive or zero integral power. For one variable, x, the general form is given by: a 0 x n + a 1 x n –1 + … + a n –1 x + a n, where a 0, a 1, etc, are real numbers
Also called: multinomial any mathematical expression consisting of the sum of a number of terms
biology a taxonomic name consisting of more than two terms, such as Parus major minor in which minor designates the subspecies
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for polynomial
[ pŏl′ē-nō′mē-əl ]
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 © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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