degree

(noun)

the sum of the exponents of a term; the order of a polynomial.

Related Terms

  • factor
  • degree of a polynomial
  • Commutative Property
  • coefficient
  • polynomial
  • quadratic

(noun)

the sum of the exponents of a term or the order of a polynomial.

Related Terms

  • factor
  • degree of a polynomial
  • Commutative Property
  • coefficient
  • polynomial
  • quadratic

Examples of degree in the following topics:

  • Basics of Graphing Polynomial Functions

    • A typical graph of a polynomial function of degree 3 is the following:
    • A polynomial of degree 6.
    • Its highest-degree coefficient is positive.
    • A polynomial of degree 5.
    • Its highest-degree coefficient is positive.
  • The Fundamental Theorem of Algebra

    • Every polynomial of odd degree with real coefficients has a real zero.
    • So since the property is true for all polynomials of degree $0$, it is also true for all polynomials of degree $1$.
    • And since it is true for all polynomials of degree $1$, it is also true for all polynomials of degree $2$.
    • Conversely, if the multiplicities of the roots of a polynomial add to its degree, and if its degree is at least $1$ (i.e. it is not constant), then it follows that it has at least one zero.
    • Therefore, a polynomial of even degree admits an even number of real roots, and a polynomial of odd degree admits an odd number of real roots (counted with multiplicity).
  • Radians

    • Radians are another way of measuring angles, and the measure of an angle can be converted between degrees and radians.
    • Recall that dividing a circle into 360 parts creates the degree measurement.
    • As stated, one radian is equal to $\displaystyle{ \frac{180^{\circ}}{\pi} }$ degrees, or just under 57.3 degrees ($57.3^{\circ}$).
    • Thus, to convert from radians to degrees, we can multiply by $\displaystyle{ \frac{180^\circ}{\pi} }$:
    • $\displaystyle{ \text{angle in degrees} = \text{angle in radians} \cdot \frac{180^\circ}{\pi} }$
  • Adding and Subtracting Polynomials

    • Note that any two polynomials can be added or subtracted, regardless of the number of terms in each, or the degrees of the polynomials.
    • The resulting polynomial will have the same degree as the polynomial with the higher degree in the problem.
    • You may be asked to add or subtract polynomials that have terms of different degrees.
    • Notice that the answer is a polynomial of degree 3; this is also the highest degree of a polynomial in the problem.
  • What Are Polynomials?

    • The degree of a polynomial $Q(x)$ is the highest degree of one of its terms.
    • For example, the degree of $P(x)$ is $13$.
    • The degree of the zero polynomial is defined to be $-\infty$.
    • The degree of a polynomial is defined in the same way as in the real case.
    • Here the degree in $x$ of $x^3y^5$is $3$, the degree in $y$ of $x^3y^5$is $5$ and its joint degree or degree is $8$.
  • Other Equations in Quadratic Form

    • Many equations with no odd-degree terms can be reduced to quadratics and solved with the same methods as quadratics.
    • Higher degree polynomial equations can be very difficult to solve.
    • For example, if a quartic equation is biquadratic—that is, it includes no terms of an odd-degree— there is a quick way to find the zeroes of the quartic function by reducing it into a quadratic form.  
    • Consider a quadratic function with no odd-degree terms which has the form:
    • If we let an arbitrary variable $p$ equal $x^2$, this can be reduced to an equation of a lower degree:
  • Multiplying Polynomials

    • To multiply a polynomial $P(x) = M_1(x) + M_2(x) + \ldots + M_n(x)$ with a polynomial $Q(x) = N_1(x) + N_2(x) + \ldots + N_k(x)$, where both are written as a sum of monomials of distinct degrees, we get
    • Notice that since the highest degree term of $P(x)$ is multiplied with the highest degree term of $Q(x)$ we have that the degree of the product equals the sum of the degrees, since
  • Finding Polynomials with Given Zeros

    • Remember that the degree of a polynomial, the highest exponent, dictates the maximum number of roots it can have.
    • Thus, the degree of a polynomial with a given number of roots is equal to or greater than the number of roots that are given.
    • If we already count multiplicity in this number, than the degree equals the number of roots.
    • For example, if we are given two zeros, then a polynomial of second degree needs to be constructed.
  • Polynomial and Rational Functions as Models

    • where $n$ (the degree of the polynomial) is an integer greater than or equal to $0$, $x$ and $y$ are variables, and $0\not=a_n,a_{n-1},\ldots,a_2, a_1$ and $a_0$ are constants.
    • Here, n and m define the degrees of the numerator and denominator, respectively, and together, they define the degree of the polynomial.
    • Polynomial curves generated to fit points (black dots) of a sine function: The red line is a first degree polynomial; the green is a second degree; the orange is a third degree; and the blue is a fourth degree.
  • Simplifying Radical Expressions

    • where $n$ is the degree of the root.
    • A root of degree 2 is called a square root and a root of degree 3, a cube root.
    • Roots of higher degrees are referred to using ordinal numbers, as in fourth root, twentieth root, etc.
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