Unit 2: Working with Polynomials

Unit 2: Working with Polynomials

Polynomial are sums (and differences) of polynomial 'terms'. For an expression to be a polynomial term, any variables in the expression must have whole-number powers (or else the 'understood' power of 1, as in x1, which is normally written as x). A plain number can also be a polynomial term. In particular, for an expression to be a polynomial term, it must contain no square roots of variables, no fractional or negative powers on the variables, and no variables in the denominators of any fractions.

This unit emphasizes the strategies necessary for operations involving polynomials.

Unit Focus

• Understand that numbers can be represented in a variety of equivalent forms, including integers, fractions, decimals, percents, scientific notation, exponents, radicals, absolute value, and logarithms.
• Add, subtract, multiply, and divide real numbers, including square roots and exponents, using appropriate methods of computing, such as mental mathematics, paper and pencil and calculator.
• Describe, analyze, and generalize relationships, patterns, and functions using words, symbols, variables, tables, and graphs.