Polynomial Terms

PeekaTweak

New member
I would like to have someone who would be willing to explain me what is a like term and an unlike term in terms of set theory. I'm just an high-scool student, but I really would like to understand it from that point of view anyway. It doesn't have to be a 1000 pages long of explanations.

topsquark

Well-known member
MHB Math Helper
I would like to have someone who would be willing to explain me what is a like term and an unlike term in terms of set theory. I'm just an high-scool student, but I really would like to understand it from that point of view anyway. It doesn't have to be a 1000 pages long of explanations.
In terms of polynomials (I can't think of how to applied this to sets) a "like" term is a comparison between two terms of the polynomial. For example, consider the two polynomials $$\displaystyle 3x^2 + 2x - 3$$ and $$\displaystyle 5x^3 - 3x + 7$$. The like terms are the terms that are in both polynomials. Here the there is only one like term: the one in x. (I suppose you could call the constant terms "like" as they are both terms in $$\displaystyle x^0$$ but I don't think anyone does this.)

-Dan