Adding Polynomials

In this section, we learn about Adding Polynomials. We will begin with the basic definition of a polynomial, and then explain how to add and subtract polynomials, and how to determine the degree of a polynomial. In order to add or subtract polynomials, we must revisit the concept of a term. A term is a number, variable, or the product of a number and one or more variables. Next, we think about like terms, like terms have the same variable(s) raised to the same power(s). When we add or subtract polynomials, we are simply combining like terms. This means the variable parts stay the same and we add or subtract coefficients. Lastly, we will learn how to determine the degree of a polynomial and how to write a polynomial in standard form.