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In mathematics, the degree of a polynomial is the highest of the degrees of the polynomial's monomials (individual terms) with non-zero coefficients. The degree of a term is the sum of the exponents of the variables that appear in it, and thus is a non-negative integer. For a univariate polynomial, the degree of the polynomial is simply the ...
is a horizontal line with y-intercept a0. The graph of a degree 1 polynomial (or linear function) f(x) = a0 + a1x, where a1 ≠ 0, is an oblique line with y-intercept a0 and slope a1. The graph of a degree 2 polynomial. f(x) = a0 + a1x + a2x2, where a2 ≠ 0. is a parabola. The graph of a degree 3 polynomial.
A linear function is a polynomial functionin which the variablexhas degree at most one:[2] f(x)=ax+b{\displaystyle f(x)=ax+b}. Such a function is called linearbecause its graph, the set of all points (x,f(x)){\displaystyle (x,f(x))}in the Cartesian plane, is a line. The coefficient ais called the slopeof the function and of the line (see below).
In mathematics, the term linear function refers to two distinct but related notions: [1] In calculus and related areas, a linear function is a function whose graph is a straight line, that is, a polynomial function of degree zero or one. [2] For distinguishing such a linear function from the other concept, the term affine function is often used.
The phrase "linear equation" takes its origin in this correspondence between lines and equations: a linear equation in two variables is an equation whose solutions form a line. If b ≠ 0, the line is the graph of the function of x that has been defined in the preceding section. If b = 0, the line is a vertical line (that is a line parallel to ...
In mathematics, a system of linear equations (or linear system) is a collection of two or more linear equations involving the same variables. [1][2] For example, is a system of three equations in the three variables x, y, z. A solution to a linear system is an assignment of values to the variables such that all the equations are simultaneously ...
Linear form. In mathematics, a linear form (also known as a linear functional, [1] a one-form, or a covector) is a linear map [nb 1] from a vector space to its field of scalars (often, the real numbers or the complex numbers). If V is a vector space over a field k, the set of all linear functionals from V to k is itself a vector space over k ...
In mathematics and science, a nonlinear system (or a non-linear system) is a system in which the change of the output is not proportional to the change of the input. [1] [2] Nonlinear problems are of interest to engineers, biologists, [3] [4] [5] physicists, [6] [7] mathematicians, and many other scientists since most systems are inherently nonlinear in nature. [8]