What is a monomial?

What is a monomial?

• A. It has one term and may have a coefficient, a variable, or both
• B. It has two terms connected by + or -
• C. It has three terms
• D. It is a constant only

Answer: (A)

Monomials are expressions with a single term. That term can be a constant, like 5; it can be a single variable, like x; or it can be a product of a coefficient and one or more variables, such as 4x or 3x^2y. The key is that there is only one term, so you won’t see a plus or minus sign inside the expression. Expressions with two or more terms joined by + or - aren’t monomials. A monomial doesn’t have to be just a number—it can include variables as well. So the description that it has one term and may have a coefficient, a variable, or both best captures what a monomial is.

Monomials are expressions with a single term. That term can be a constant, like 5; it can be a single variable, like x; or it can be a product of a coefficient and one or more variables, such as 4x or 3x^2y. The key is that there is only one term, so you won’t see a plus or minus sign inside the expression. Expressions with two or more terms joined by + or - aren’t monomials. A monomial doesn’t have to be just a number—it can include variables as well. So the description that it has one term and may have a coefficient, a variable, or both best captures what a monomial is.