On this blog post we discuss what the level of a polynomial is as well as exactly how to discover the level of a polynomial. You will certainly likewise see numerous instances of exactly how to do it as well as the various kinds of polynomials according to their level. Lastly, you will certainly discover addressed issues to exercise.
Table of Contents
What is the level of a polynomial?
The interpretation of level of a polynomial is as complies with:
The level of a polynomial is the greatest of the levels of its terms. As a result, if the polynomial has just one variable, the level of the polynomial is the biggest backer to which the variable of the polynomial is increased. On the various other hand, if the polynomial has 2 or even more variables, the level of the polynomial is the biggest amount of backers of its terms.
For instance, the level of the complying with polynomial is 5 due to the fact that the optimum worth of the backers of its terms is 5:
Instances of levels of polynomials
Once we understand exactly how to recognize the level of a polynomial, allow’s see even more instances to end up recognizing its significance:
- Example of a zero degree polynomial:
- Example of a first degree polynomial:
- Example of a second degree polynomial:
- Example of a third degree polynomial:
- Example of a fourth degree polynomial:
How to find the degree of a polynomial with two or more variables
We have just seen how to determine the degree of a univariate polynomial (polynomial with a single variable). However, what is the degree of a multivariate polynomial?
First of all, you must remember that if a term has two or more variables, its degree is the sum of the exponents of its variables. For example, the degree of the term 5x4y3 is equal to 7, since 4+3=7.
So, to find the degree of a polynomial with two or more variables, we first have to calculate the degree of each of its terms, thus, the degree of the polynomial will be the highest degree of its terms.
As an example, we are going to find the degree of the following polynomial with three variables:
The degree of the first monomial of the polynomial is 9 (5+4=9), the second term of the polynomial is of degree 6 (3+2+1=6) and, finally, the third element of the polynomial is of degree 8 (6+2=8). Therefore, the degree of the polynomial of the problem is 9, since it is the maximum degree of its monomials.
Names of polynomials by degree
According to the degree of the polynomials, we can classify them as follows:
| Degree of the polynomial | Name | Example |
| Polynomial of degree 0 | Constant (or zero polynomial) | 5 |
| Polynomial of degree 1 | Linear polynomial | x+2 |
| Polynomial of degree 2 | Quadratic polynomial | x2+3x+1 |
| Polynomial of degree 3 | Cubic polynomial | x3-4x+2 |
| Polynomial of degree 4 | Quartic polynomial | 5x4+x2+9 |
| Polynomial of degree 5 | Quintic polynomial | x5-2x3+3x |
| Polynomial of degree 6 | Sextic polynomial | 2x6+8x4-x |
| Polynomial of degree 7 | Septic polynomial | -3x7+4x4+3x |
| Polynomial of degree 8 | Octic polynomial | x8-9x2+6 |
| Polynomial of degree 9 | Nonic polynomial | x9+7x5-x2 |
| Polynomial of degree 10 | Decic polynomial | 8x10+3x8-4x5-6x2 |
Practice problems on finding the degree of a polynomial
Problem 1
Find the degree of the following polynomial:
The polynomial has only one variable, therefore the degree of the polynomial is its highest exponent, which is 4.
Problem 2
What is the degree of the following polynomial?
To find the degree of the polynomial, first we have to combine its like terms:
When performing the calculations, all the third-degree terms of the polynomial have been canceled, therefore the degree of the polynomial is 2.
Problem 3
Identify the degree of the following polynomial with 2 variables.
To find the degree of each term of the polynomial, we have to add its exponents. So, the monomial with the highest degree is 
, whose degree is 7 (4+3=7).
Therefore, the degree of the polynomial is 7.
Problem 4
Find the degree of the following polynomial with four variables.
To find the degree of each monomial of the polynomial, we have to add its exponents. Therefore:
The highest degree of the terms of the polynomial is 10, so it is a polynomial of degree 10.