7 | Algebraic Expressions IMPORTANT FACTS AND FORMULAE 1. CONSTANTS AND VARIABLES A symbol having a fixed numerical value is called a constant. A symbol which takes on various numerical values is called a variable ora literal. 2, ALGEBRAIC EXPRESSION A combination of constants and variables, connected by operations +,~, x and + is called an algebraic expression. 3. TERMS OF AN ALGEBRAIC EXPRESSION Several parts of an algebraic expression separated by + or ~ signs are called terms of the expression. Thus, 7a x5b isa single term, while 7a + 5b has two terms: 7a and 5b 4. TYPES OF ALGEBRAIC EXPRESSIONS An algebraic expression is called a (i) monomial, if it contains one term only; (i) binomial, if it has 2 terms; (iii) trinomial, if it has 3 terms; (iv) multinomial, if it has more than one term. 5. FACTORS OF ATERM When two or more quantities (numbers and literals) are multiplied to form a term, then each of these quantities is called a factor of the term. A constant factor is called a numerical factor while a variable factor is called a literal factor. So, in-8xy’, the numerical factor is -8 and the literal factors are x, y, y°, axyand xy. 6. CONSTANT TERM In an algebraic expression, a term which has no literal factor is called the constant term. So, in the expression 8x° —5x? + 2x —3, the constant term is - 7. COEFFICIENTS Any factor of a term is called the coefficient of the product of all the remaining factors. In a term, the numeric factor attached to the variables is called the numerical coefficient, while the non-numeric factor consisting of the variables of the term is called the literal coefficient. Thus, in -3xy’, the numerical coefficient is -3 and literal coefficient 2 is xy10. 1 12, 13, LIKE AND UNUKE TERMS Terms having the same literal coefficients are called like terms, otherwise they are called unlike terms. So,-5x°y, By and 8x’y are like terms, while 6x°y, -Sxy” and 3x7y’ are unlike terms. RULE FOR REMOVAL OF BRACKETS Ifa bracket is preceded by a ‘+’ sign then the bracket is removed without changing the sign of the terms inside it. If a bracket is preceded by a ‘~’ sign then on removing the bracket the sign of each of the terms inside it is reversed (ie., ‘+’ changes to ‘~' and “changes to‘+’). Polynomials An algebraic expression in which the variables involved have only non-negative integral powers is called a polynomial. So, 3x? +5x—2 is a polynomial; 1 x+— isnota polynomial; x ¥+3,y is not a polynomial. Degree of a polynomial in one variable = highest power of the variable in that polynomial. So, degree of the polynomial 8x* —2x° + 5x7 +7 = highest power of variable x= 4. CONSTANT POLYNOMIAL A polynomial having one term consisting of a constant only is called a constant polynomial. The degree of a constant polynomial is 0. The product of two factors with like signs is positive and the product of two factors with unlike signs is negative. Thus, 6x%4y = 24xy; (3a) x (-5b*) = (-3) x (-5) x ab? = 15ab?; -7p x 4q =—28pq.