The Difference between a Monomial and a Polynomial

by Deborah
(Hardin, KY)

Why is -2 a polynomial and -5 is a monomial? I do not understand the rationale behind this and my textbook is not clear. Also how can 0 be both?

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The Difference between a Monomial and a Polynomial

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Oct 13, 2011
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by: Earl Buscato

this is really work.it helps,to answer my problem especially in math..........and i joy it....so i'm so thankful....


thank you...!
Aug 05, 2011
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by: cupid

a monomial is an algebraic expression of one term a polynomial is an algebraic expression of more than one term, a binomial and trinomial is an example of polynomials. both monomial and polynomial are algebraic expression of positive exponent. terms in algebraic expression are separated by a plus or minus sign
Nov 19, 2010
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Nov 05, 2010
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by: Natasha

this post helped me so much! i was searching for this question for hours, when finally i came to this site- it helped me so much by breaking it down and using simple words!thx!
Jun 07, 2010
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by: Anonymous

Thank you for helping me understand this topic. IT was quite helpful.
Mar 19, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		The Difference Between a Monomial and a Polynomial
by: Karin

Before we talk about Polynomials, I want you to think of Bread!

Bread is a very general term and there are a lot of different types of bread.

Bread

Rye
Wheat
White

We could call Rye bread just bread or we could be more specific and classify is as Rye.

This is exactly how Polynomials work:

Polynomial is the general term, but some polynomials can be classified in a more specific way.

A polynomial is any sum (or difference) of terms. A term is separated by a plus or minus sign (that's why the word sum is used).

Some polynomials can be classified more specifically as monomials, binomials, or trinomials.

Polynomials

Monomial (one term) - Examples: 4, 3x, 6xy, (notice there are no plus or minus signs.)

Binomial (two terms) - Examples: 3x + 2y (notice there is one plus sign)

Trinomial (three terms) - Examples: 3x+2y-4 (notice there are two plus/minus signs)

Anything with more terms than three is just classified as polynomial.

But monomials, binomials, and trinomials are also polynomials because Polynomial is the "bread" or general term.

So, to answer your question, -2, -5, and 0 are all polynomials (generally) but they can be classified further as monomials because they only have 1 term.

Hope this helps in your understanding.

Karin

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