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In mathematics, a polynomial is an expression consisting of variables, called indeterminates, and coefficients that involves only the operations ofaddition, subtraction, multiplication, and non-negative integer exponents. An example of a polynomial of a single indeterminate (or variable), x, isx² − 4x + 7, which is a quadratic polynomial.

Polynomials appear in a wide variety of areas of mathematics and science. 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 andnumerical analysis to approximate other functions. In advanced mathematics, polynomials are used to construct polynomial rings and algebraic varieties, central concepts in algebra and algebraic geometry. 

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