A polynomial consists of exclusively indeterminates.
In mathematics , a polynomial is an expression consisting of variables -LRB- or indeterminates -RRB- and coefficients , that involves only the operations of addition , subtraction , multiplication , and non-negative integer exponents .. mathematics. mathematics. expression. expression ( mathematics ). variables. variable ( mathematics ). indeterminates. indeterminate ( variable ). addition. addition. subtraction. subtraction. multiplication. multiplication. integer. integer. exponents. exponentiation. An example of a polynomial of a single indeterminate is .. An example in three variables is .. variables. variable ( mathematics ). Polynomials appear in a wide variety of areas of mathematics and science .. mathematics. mathematics. For example , they are used to form polynomial equations , which encode a wide range of problems , from elementary word problems to complicated problems in the sciences ; they are used to define polynomial functions , which appear in settings ranging from basic chemistry and physics to economics and social science ; they are used in calculus and numerical analysis to approximate other functions .. word problems. word problem ( mathematics education ). chemistry. chemistry. physics. physics. economics. economics. social science. social science. calculus. calculus. numerical analysis. numerical analysis. In advanced mathematics , polynomials are used to construct polynomial rings and algebraic varieties , central concepts in algebra and algebraic geometry .. mathematics. mathematics. algebraic varieties. algebraic variety. algebra. algebra. algebraic geometry. algebraic geometry