monicMonic22002-02-10 20:46:302005-02-28 10:15:09Definition\usepackage{amssymb}
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%\usepackage{xypic}A \emph{monic polynomial} is a polynomial with a leading coefficient of 1. That is, if $P_n(x)$ is a polynomial of degree $n$ in the variable $x$, then the coefficient of $x^n$ in $P_n(x)$ is 1.
For example, $x^5+3x^3-10x^2+1$ is a monic 5th-degree polynomial. $3x^2+2z-5$ is a 2nd-degree polynomial which is not monic.