Question 646477
<font face="Times New Roman" size="+2">


It is a polynomial because it is a polynomial, not because it is an "expression".  An expression could be anything.  There is a good Wikipedia article that rigorously defines polynomial -- recommended reading.


Remember the FOIL process:  The product of the first terms plus the product of the outside terms plus the product of the inside terms plus the product of the last terms:


*[tex \LARGE \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ (x\ -\ 4y)^2\ =\ (x\ -\ 4y)(x\ -\ 4y)\ =\ x^2\ -\ 4xy\ -\ 4xy\ +\ 16y^2\ =\ x^2\ -\ 8xy\ +\ 16y^2]


Ok...so you do the next part.  Put the factor of 4 aside for the time being and FOIL the two binomials.  Then distribute the 4 across your three terms.  Add this new mess to what I did for you above.


Next, distribute the *[tex \LARGE x] in the last term across the trinomial.  Add that result to the rest of it.


And finally, go back and collect like terms.  Remember, like terms have the same variables with the same exponents.  *[tex \LARGE xy] is like *[tex \LARGE xy] but it is NOT like *[tex \LARGE x^2y] for example.


John
*[tex \LARGE e^{i\pi}\ +\ 1\ =\ 0]
My calculator said it, I believe it, that settles it
<div style="text-align:center"><a href="http://outcampaign.org/" target="_blank"><img src="http://cdn.cloudfiles.mosso.com/c116811/scarlet_A.png" border="0" alt="The Out Campaign: Scarlet Letter of Atheism" width="143" height="122" /></a></div>
</font>