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Higher order polynomials

Polynomials are Functions of the form f(x)=anxn+an1xn1++a1x+a0, where an0 and nZ.

Higher order conventionally refers to any polynomial with a degree greater than quadratic.

Terminology

Term Description
leading term The term with the highest power
leading coefficient Leading term’s coefficient
monic When the leading coefficient is 1
degree Index of the leading term (e.g. a cubic function is a polynomial of degree 3)
constant term The term independent of x