Which statement describes a polynomial?

Which statement describes a polynomial?

• A. An expression that contains at least one variable and has no equals sign.
• B. A mathematical sentence that contains an equals sign.
• C. A mathematical expression that is the sum of a number of terms.
• D. A list of numbers separated by commas.

Answer: (C)

Polynomials are algebraic expressions formed by adding or subtracting terms, where each term is a coefficient times a variable raised to a nonnegative integer power. The description that fits best is a mathematical expression that is the sum of a number of terms, such as 4x^3 - 2x + 7, which shows several terms being combined with addition and subtraction. This kind of expression has no equals sign and is not simply a list of numbers. The other descriptions either refer to an equation (which includes an equals sign) or describe forms that aren’t necessarily polynomials.

Polynomials are algebraic expressions formed by adding or subtracting terms, where each term is a coefficient times a variable raised to a nonnegative integer power. The description that fits best is a mathematical expression that is the sum of a number of terms, such as 4x^3 - 2x + 7, which shows several terms being combined with addition and subtraction. This kind of expression has no equals sign and is not simply a list of numbers. The other descriptions either refer to an equation (which includes an equals sign) or describe forms that aren’t necessarily polynomials.