Algebra 84 - Monomial Building Blocks of Polynomial Functions

A polynomial is a sum of one or more terms called monomials. If we think of each monomial as a separate function, then a polynomial function can be thought of as a sum of these monomial functions. In previous lectures we have studied polynomial functions such as linear functions whose graphs are lines and quadratic functions whose graphs are parabolas. However, the graphs of higher degree polynomial functions can be much more interesting and varied. In this lecture, we will see how the shapes of those graphs are affected by the individual monomial terms contained in the polynomial.