Polynomial Functions

When we use mathematics to make models to represent the real world, we frequently use polynomial functions. The simplest of these is a linear function, which we have already examined in this course. We will next look at Quadratic Functions, starting on the next page, but first here is a definition of what a polynomial function looks like in general.

Polynomial Function

A polynomial function $f\:$of degree $n,\:$where $n\:$is a nonnegative integer, is a function of the form

$f\left(x\right)=a_nx^n+a_{n-1}x^{n-1}+...+a_1x^1+a_0\:$

where $a_n,\:a_{n-1},\:...,\:a_1,\:$and $a_0\:$are complex numbers, with $a_n\ne0.$

Here are some examples of polynomial functions from the e-book