Binomial (polynomial)

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In algebra, a binomial is a polynomial that is the sum of two terms, each of which is a monomial. [1] It is the simplest kind of a sparse polynomial after the monomials.

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A toric ideal is an ideal that is generated by binomials that are difference of monomials;that is, binomials whose two coefficients are 1 and −1. A toric variety is an algebraic variety defined by a toric ideal.

For every admissible monomial ordering, the minimal Gröbner basis of a toric ideal consists only of differences of monomials. (This is an immediate consequence of Buchberger's algorithm that can produce only differences of monomials when starting with differences of monomials.

Similarly, a binomial ideal is an ideal generated by monomials and binomials (that is, the above constraint on the coefficient is released), and the minimal Gröbner basis of a binomial ideal contains only monomials and binomials. Monomials must be included in the definition of a binomial ideal, because, for example, if a binomial ideal contains and , it contains also .

Definition

A binomial is a polynomial which is the sum of two monomials. A binomial in a single indeterminate (also known as a univariate binomial) can be written in the form

where a and b are numbers, and m and n are distinct non-negative integers and x is a symbol which is called an indeterminate or, for historical reasons, a variable. In the context of Laurent polynomials, a Laurent binomial, often simply called a binomial, is similarly defined, but the exponents m and n may be negative.

More generally, a binomial may be written [2] as:

Examples

Operations on simple binomials

This is a special case of the more general formula:
When working over the complex numbers, this can also be extended to:
The numbers (1, 2, 1) appearing as multipliers for the terms in this expansion are the binomial coefficients two rows down from the top of Pascal's triangle. The expansion of the nth power uses the numbers n rows down from the top of the triangle.
For m < n, let a = n2m2, b = 2mn, and c = n2 + m2; then a2 + b2 = c2.

See also

Notes

  1. Weisstein, Eric W. "Binomial". MathWorld .
  2. Sturmfels, Bernd (2002). Solving Systems of Polynomial Equations. CBMS Regional Conference Series in Mathematics. Vol. 97. American Mathematical Society. p. 62. ISBN   9780821889411.

References