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In mathematics, the discriminant of a polynomial is a quantity that depends on the coefficients and allows deducing some properties of the roots without computing them. More precisely, it is a polynomial function of the coefficients of the original polynomial. The discriminant is widely used in polynomial factoring, number theory, and algebraic ...
In this vein, the discriminant is a symmetric function in the roots that reflects properties of the roots – it is zero if and only if the polynomial has a multiple root, and for quadratic and cubic polynomials it is positive if and only if all roots are real and distinct, and negative if and only if there is a pair of distinct complex ...
Polynomials of degree one, two or three are respectively linear polynomials, quadratic polynomials and cubic polynomials. [8] For higher degrees, the specific names are not commonly used, although quartic polynomial (for degree four) and quintic polynomial (for degree five) are sometimes used. The names for the degrees may be applied to the ...
Coefficient: An expression multiplying one of the monomials of the polynomial. Root (or zero) of a polynomial: Given a polynomial p(x), the x values that satisfy p(x) = 0 are called roots (or zeroes) of the polynomial p. Graphing. End behaviour – Concavity – Orientation – Tangency point – Inflection point – Point where concavity changes.
The discriminant of a polynomial is a function of its coefficients that is zero if and only if the polynomial has a multiple root, or, if it is divisible by the square of a non-constant polynomial. In other words, the discriminant is nonzero if and only if the polynomial is square-free.
The stabilizer of a given polynomial under this action is generally trivial, but some polynomials have a bigger stabilizer. For example, the stabilizer of an elementary symmetric polynomial is the whole group S n. If the stabilizer is non-trivial, the polynomial is fixed by some non-trivial subgroup G; it is said to be an invariant of G.
For binary forms the discriminant vanishes if the form has multiple roots and is essentially the same as the discriminant of a polynomial of 1 variable. The discriminant of a form vanishes when the corresponding hypersurface has singularities (as a scheme). disjunctive See Sylvester (1853, Glossary p. 543–548) divariant
Its square is widely called the discriminant, though some sources call the Vandermonde polynomial itself the discriminant. The discriminant (the square of the Vandermonde polynomial: Δ = V n 2 {\displaystyle \Delta =V_{n}^{2}} ) does not depend on the order of terms, as ( − 1 ) 2 = 1 {\displaystyle (-1)^{2}=1} , and is thus an invariant of ...