Monic polynomial

In algebra, a monic polynomial is a single-variable polynomial (that is, a univariate polynomial) in which the leading coefficient (the nonzero coefficient of highest degree) is equal to 1. Therefore, a monic polynomial has the form In algebra, a monic polynomial is a single-variable polynomial (that is, a univariate polynomial) in which the leading coefficient (the nonzero coefficient of highest degree) is equal to 1. Therefore, a monic polynomial has the form If a polynomial has only one indeterminate (univariate polynomial), then the terms are usually written either from highest degree to lowest degree ('descending powers') or from lowest degree to highest degree ('ascending powers'). A univariate polynomial in x of degree n then takes the general form displayed above, where