Classify polynomials by terms

What this lesson shows

3 x squared, plus 2 x, minus 5. This is a polynomial — a sum of building blocks called TERMS. Classifying it takes two moves: count… and rank.

Try it yourself

Real questions from this lesson's worksheets — answers below each one.

1. Classify by the number of terms: x² + 3x + 2
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   trinomial
2. Classify by the number of terms: x² - x - 4
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   trinomial
3. Classify by the number of terms: 2
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   monomial
4. Classify by the number of terms: 3
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   monomial