You are here: irt.org | FOLDOC | polynomial
1. <mathematics> An arithmetic expression composed by summing multiples of powers of some variable.
P(x) = sum a_i x^i for i = 0 .. NThe multipliers, a_i, are known as "coefficients" and N, the highest power of x with a non-zero coefficient, is known as the "degree" of the polynomial. If N=0 then P(x) is constant, if N=1, P(x) is linear in x. N=2 gives a "quadratic" and N=3, a "cubic".
2. <complexity> polynomial-time.
Nearby terms: polymorphic « polymorphic lambda-calculus « polymorphism « polynomial » polynomial-time » polynomial-time algorithm » polyvinyl chloride
FOLDOC, Topics, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z, ?, ALL