What exactly is in the polynomial vector space?

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I am having some trouble understanding the polynomial vector space notation: $P_m(F)$ which means the set of all polynomials that take inputs from the space $F$ and output to the space $F$ with coefficients in $F$ if there exits $a_0, ...,a_m$ $epsilon F$ such that $p(z)=a_0+a_1z+a_2z^2+...+a_mz^m$



What does it really mean "if there exist $a_0, ...,a_m$ $epsilon F $? Can't we always include some arbitrary coefficient values to a polynomial?



And, since $p(z)=a_0+a_1z+a_2z^2+...+a_mz^m$ is just one huge sum, is it just one huge polynomial? I'm also confused as to whether or not it includes just the polynomials (i.e. x^2) or the polynomials evaluated at all possible values as well? (i.e. $(0)^2, (1)^2, (2)^2, etc.$)



And, following polynomials of this form, it doesn't seem to inlclude something like "$x+5$", as it seems to refer to functions in the form of $x^0, x^1,...x^n$".



I'm new to linear algebra so please bear with me. Can someone please explain this notation and the contents of this set?










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    I am having some trouble understanding the polynomial vector space notation: $P_m(F)$ which means the set of all polynomials that take inputs from the space $F$ and output to the space $F$ with coefficients in $F$ if there exits $a_0, ...,a_m$ $epsilon F$ such that $p(z)=a_0+a_1z+a_2z^2+...+a_mz^m$



    What does it really mean "if there exist $a_0, ...,a_m$ $epsilon F $? Can't we always include some arbitrary coefficient values to a polynomial?



    And, since $p(z)=a_0+a_1z+a_2z^2+...+a_mz^m$ is just one huge sum, is it just one huge polynomial? I'm also confused as to whether or not it includes just the polynomials (i.e. x^2) or the polynomials evaluated at all possible values as well? (i.e. $(0)^2, (1)^2, (2)^2, etc.$)



    And, following polynomials of this form, it doesn't seem to inlclude something like "$x+5$", as it seems to refer to functions in the form of $x^0, x^1,...x^n$".



    I'm new to linear algebra so please bear with me. Can someone please explain this notation and the contents of this set?










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      up vote
      2
      down vote

      favorite









      up vote
      2
      down vote

      favorite











      I am having some trouble understanding the polynomial vector space notation: $P_m(F)$ which means the set of all polynomials that take inputs from the space $F$ and output to the space $F$ with coefficients in $F$ if there exits $a_0, ...,a_m$ $epsilon F$ such that $p(z)=a_0+a_1z+a_2z^2+...+a_mz^m$



      What does it really mean "if there exist $a_0, ...,a_m$ $epsilon F $? Can't we always include some arbitrary coefficient values to a polynomial?



      And, since $p(z)=a_0+a_1z+a_2z^2+...+a_mz^m$ is just one huge sum, is it just one huge polynomial? I'm also confused as to whether or not it includes just the polynomials (i.e. x^2) or the polynomials evaluated at all possible values as well? (i.e. $(0)^2, (1)^2, (2)^2, etc.$)



      And, following polynomials of this form, it doesn't seem to inlclude something like "$x+5$", as it seems to refer to functions in the form of $x^0, x^1,...x^n$".



      I'm new to linear algebra so please bear with me. Can someone please explain this notation and the contents of this set?










      share|cite|improve this question













      I am having some trouble understanding the polynomial vector space notation: $P_m(F)$ which means the set of all polynomials that take inputs from the space $F$ and output to the space $F$ with coefficients in $F$ if there exits $a_0, ...,a_m$ $epsilon F$ such that $p(z)=a_0+a_1z+a_2z^2+...+a_mz^m$



      What does it really mean "if there exist $a_0, ...,a_m$ $epsilon F $? Can't we always include some arbitrary coefficient values to a polynomial?



      And, since $p(z)=a_0+a_1z+a_2z^2+...+a_mz^m$ is just one huge sum, is it just one huge polynomial? I'm also confused as to whether or not it includes just the polynomials (i.e. x^2) or the polynomials evaluated at all possible values as well? (i.e. $(0)^2, (1)^2, (2)^2, etc.$)



      And, following polynomials of this form, it doesn't seem to inlclude something like "$x+5$", as it seems to refer to functions in the form of $x^0, x^1,...x^n$".



      I'm new to linear algebra so please bear with me. Can someone please explain this notation and the contents of this set?







      linear-algebra polynomials vector-spaces






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      asked 1 hour ago









      Jaigus

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          A polynomial with coefficients in the field $F$ in the variable $X$ is an expression of the sort
          $$
          P(X)=a_o+a_1X+a_2X^2+cdots+a_dX^d
          $$

          where the coefficients $a_iin F$. Polynomials can be added and multiplied in the usual way to give other polynomials as result. A polynomial can also be multiplied by a scalar (i.e. an element of $F$) and a result is a polynomial.



          (In fact there's a more formal definition of polynomials, but let's ignore it for now)



          There's a notion of degree of a polynomial. The polynomial $P(X)$ written above has degree $deg(P(X))=d$ provided $a_dneq0$. The degree of a polynomial is well-behaved under the operations described above, namely
          $$
          deg(P+Q)leqmax(deg(P),deg(Q)), deg(PQ)=deg(P)+deg(Q), deg(aP)=deg(P)
          $$

          as long as $aneq0$. The first and last such relations for the degree imply that if we let
          $$
          P_m(X)=textpolynomials $P(X)$ such that $deg(P)leq m$
          $$

          then $P_m(X)$ is closed under addition and multiplication by scalars. A straightforward exercise shows then that $P_m(X)$ is a linear space.






          share|cite|improve this answer



























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            2
            down vote













            You should not interprete polynomials over a field $F$ as a map of a function from $F$ to $F$.



            A polynomial is a formal linear combination over $F$ of the monomials $x^i$. So, first of all, all monomials are also polynomials. Examples are $x^2, x^3, x$ or $0$. Linear combinations of those monomials are finite sums of such monomials, where you are allowed to multiply each monomial with a coefficient $a_i in F$. For $F=mathbb R$, examples are $x^2, 3x^2-5, x^3-7x$ or $x^6+x^2-4$. One important point is that you do not allow infinite sums of monomials.



            You can add polynomials (as it is neccesary for a vector space). If you have polynomials $p(x)=a_0 + a_1 x + a_2 x^2 + dots a_n x^n$ and $q(x) = b_0 + b_1x + dots +b_mx^m$ (so all $a_i$ and $b_i$ are elements of $F$), you can add those two to obtain
            $$(p+q)(x) = sum_i=0^max(m,n) (a_i+b_i)x^i$$
            where we set all $a_i$ and $b_i$ not already defined to $0$.



            You can also multiply $p$ with a scalar $alpha in F$:
            $$(alpha p)(x) = sum_i=1^n (alpha a_i)x^i$$



            So why is a polynomial not a map?



            Given a polynomial $p(x)in F[x]$, we can define a map $sigma_pcolon F to F, a mapsto p(a)$. If you think of the polynomial $x^2$ as a parabola, you consider this map. But this map is not the same as $p(x)$. For example, take $F=mathbb Z / 2mathbb Z$, the field with two elements. Then the polynomials $p(x) = x^2$ and $q(x) = x$ are different (since they have different coefficients), but the evaluation maps $sigma_pcolon mathbb Z / 2mathbb Z to mathbb Z / 2mathbb Z, xmapsto x^2$ and $sigma_q colon mathbb Z / 2mathbb Z to mathbb Z / 2mathbb Z, xmapsto x$ are the same (since $x^2=x$ for all $x in mathbb Z / 2mathbb Z$).






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              up vote
              1
              down vote













              There are a lot of questions and potential confusions here, I will try to clarify some of them with the use of examples.



              $P_1(mathbbR)$ is the set of all linear functions with real coefficients, i.e. $ax^1+b x^0$ where $a$ and $b$ are real. The polynomial $x+5$ is an element of this space because $x+5= 1x^1+ 5 x^0$.



              On the other hand, $P_2(mathbbC)$ is the set of all quadratic polynomials with complex coefficients. An example element in this space is the polynomial $3x^2+(2+i)x+3$. Another example is $3x^2+0x+1$, which is usually written as $3x^2+1$. This example is actually also an element of $P_2(mathbbR)$ too, because all the coefficients are real.






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              • Thank you! The examples you've shown made it click. So we should simply look at this huge sum as an descriptive tool we use to express other polynomials just like conventional vectors. So, $P_n(mathbbF)$ can express anything in $P_n-1(mathbbF)$ by simply placing a 0 (or 0's if necessary) as a coefficient(s) in the term having nth degree (or all terms having less than a degree of n).
                – Jaigus
                26 mins ago










              • How about the statement: "$p_0, p_1, ..., p_m$ in $P_m(mathbb F)$ such that $p_j(5) = 0$ for each j"? This refers to all the polynomials in the set that evaluate to 0 at 5, yet does the subscript "j" in this statement mean each polynomial of degree j that evaluates to 0 at 5 or just each of the polynomials that evaluate to 0 at 5?
                – Jaigus
                9 mins ago











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              3 Answers
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              up vote
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              A polynomial with coefficients in the field $F$ in the variable $X$ is an expression of the sort
              $$
              P(X)=a_o+a_1X+a_2X^2+cdots+a_dX^d
              $$

              where the coefficients $a_iin F$. Polynomials can be added and multiplied in the usual way to give other polynomials as result. A polynomial can also be multiplied by a scalar (i.e. an element of $F$) and a result is a polynomial.



              (In fact there's a more formal definition of polynomials, but let's ignore it for now)



              There's a notion of degree of a polynomial. The polynomial $P(X)$ written above has degree $deg(P(X))=d$ provided $a_dneq0$. The degree of a polynomial is well-behaved under the operations described above, namely
              $$
              deg(P+Q)leqmax(deg(P),deg(Q)), deg(PQ)=deg(P)+deg(Q), deg(aP)=deg(P)
              $$

              as long as $aneq0$. The first and last such relations for the degree imply that if we let
              $$
              P_m(X)=textpolynomials $P(X)$ such that $deg(P)leq m$
              $$

              then $P_m(X)$ is closed under addition and multiplication by scalars. A straightforward exercise shows then that $P_m(X)$ is a linear space.






              share|cite|improve this answer
























                up vote
                3
                down vote













                A polynomial with coefficients in the field $F$ in the variable $X$ is an expression of the sort
                $$
                P(X)=a_o+a_1X+a_2X^2+cdots+a_dX^d
                $$

                where the coefficients $a_iin F$. Polynomials can be added and multiplied in the usual way to give other polynomials as result. A polynomial can also be multiplied by a scalar (i.e. an element of $F$) and a result is a polynomial.



                (In fact there's a more formal definition of polynomials, but let's ignore it for now)



                There's a notion of degree of a polynomial. The polynomial $P(X)$ written above has degree $deg(P(X))=d$ provided $a_dneq0$. The degree of a polynomial is well-behaved under the operations described above, namely
                $$
                deg(P+Q)leqmax(deg(P),deg(Q)), deg(PQ)=deg(P)+deg(Q), deg(aP)=deg(P)
                $$

                as long as $aneq0$. The first and last such relations for the degree imply that if we let
                $$
                P_m(X)=textpolynomials $P(X)$ such that $deg(P)leq m$
                $$

                then $P_m(X)$ is closed under addition and multiplication by scalars. A straightforward exercise shows then that $P_m(X)$ is a linear space.






                share|cite|improve this answer






















                  up vote
                  3
                  down vote










                  up vote
                  3
                  down vote









                  A polynomial with coefficients in the field $F$ in the variable $X$ is an expression of the sort
                  $$
                  P(X)=a_o+a_1X+a_2X^2+cdots+a_dX^d
                  $$

                  where the coefficients $a_iin F$. Polynomials can be added and multiplied in the usual way to give other polynomials as result. A polynomial can also be multiplied by a scalar (i.e. an element of $F$) and a result is a polynomial.



                  (In fact there's a more formal definition of polynomials, but let's ignore it for now)



                  There's a notion of degree of a polynomial. The polynomial $P(X)$ written above has degree $deg(P(X))=d$ provided $a_dneq0$. The degree of a polynomial is well-behaved under the operations described above, namely
                  $$
                  deg(P+Q)leqmax(deg(P),deg(Q)), deg(PQ)=deg(P)+deg(Q), deg(aP)=deg(P)
                  $$

                  as long as $aneq0$. The first and last such relations for the degree imply that if we let
                  $$
                  P_m(X)=textpolynomials $P(X)$ such that $deg(P)leq m$
                  $$

                  then $P_m(X)$ is closed under addition and multiplication by scalars. A straightforward exercise shows then that $P_m(X)$ is a linear space.






                  share|cite|improve this answer












                  A polynomial with coefficients in the field $F$ in the variable $X$ is an expression of the sort
                  $$
                  P(X)=a_o+a_1X+a_2X^2+cdots+a_dX^d
                  $$

                  where the coefficients $a_iin F$. Polynomials can be added and multiplied in the usual way to give other polynomials as result. A polynomial can also be multiplied by a scalar (i.e. an element of $F$) and a result is a polynomial.



                  (In fact there's a more formal definition of polynomials, but let's ignore it for now)



                  There's a notion of degree of a polynomial. The polynomial $P(X)$ written above has degree $deg(P(X))=d$ provided $a_dneq0$. The degree of a polynomial is well-behaved under the operations described above, namely
                  $$
                  deg(P+Q)leqmax(deg(P),deg(Q)), deg(PQ)=deg(P)+deg(Q), deg(aP)=deg(P)
                  $$

                  as long as $aneq0$. The first and last such relations for the degree imply that if we let
                  $$
                  P_m(X)=textpolynomials $P(X)$ such that $deg(P)leq m$
                  $$

                  then $P_m(X)$ is closed under addition and multiplication by scalars. A straightforward exercise shows then that $P_m(X)$ is a linear space.







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                  answered 1 hour ago









                  Andrea Mori

                  19k13464




                  19k13464




















                      up vote
                      2
                      down vote













                      You should not interprete polynomials over a field $F$ as a map of a function from $F$ to $F$.



                      A polynomial is a formal linear combination over $F$ of the monomials $x^i$. So, first of all, all monomials are also polynomials. Examples are $x^2, x^3, x$ or $0$. Linear combinations of those monomials are finite sums of such monomials, where you are allowed to multiply each monomial with a coefficient $a_i in F$. For $F=mathbb R$, examples are $x^2, 3x^2-5, x^3-7x$ or $x^6+x^2-4$. One important point is that you do not allow infinite sums of monomials.



                      You can add polynomials (as it is neccesary for a vector space). If you have polynomials $p(x)=a_0 + a_1 x + a_2 x^2 + dots a_n x^n$ and $q(x) = b_0 + b_1x + dots +b_mx^m$ (so all $a_i$ and $b_i$ are elements of $F$), you can add those two to obtain
                      $$(p+q)(x) = sum_i=0^max(m,n) (a_i+b_i)x^i$$
                      where we set all $a_i$ and $b_i$ not already defined to $0$.



                      You can also multiply $p$ with a scalar $alpha in F$:
                      $$(alpha p)(x) = sum_i=1^n (alpha a_i)x^i$$



                      So why is a polynomial not a map?



                      Given a polynomial $p(x)in F[x]$, we can define a map $sigma_pcolon F to F, a mapsto p(a)$. If you think of the polynomial $x^2$ as a parabola, you consider this map. But this map is not the same as $p(x)$. For example, take $F=mathbb Z / 2mathbb Z$, the field with two elements. Then the polynomials $p(x) = x^2$ and $q(x) = x$ are different (since they have different coefficients), but the evaluation maps $sigma_pcolon mathbb Z / 2mathbb Z to mathbb Z / 2mathbb Z, xmapsto x^2$ and $sigma_q colon mathbb Z / 2mathbb Z to mathbb Z / 2mathbb Z, xmapsto x$ are the same (since $x^2=x$ for all $x in mathbb Z / 2mathbb Z$).






                      share|cite|improve this answer


























                        up vote
                        2
                        down vote













                        You should not interprete polynomials over a field $F$ as a map of a function from $F$ to $F$.



                        A polynomial is a formal linear combination over $F$ of the monomials $x^i$. So, first of all, all monomials are also polynomials. Examples are $x^2, x^3, x$ or $0$. Linear combinations of those monomials are finite sums of such monomials, where you are allowed to multiply each monomial with a coefficient $a_i in F$. For $F=mathbb R$, examples are $x^2, 3x^2-5, x^3-7x$ or $x^6+x^2-4$. One important point is that you do not allow infinite sums of monomials.



                        You can add polynomials (as it is neccesary for a vector space). If you have polynomials $p(x)=a_0 + a_1 x + a_2 x^2 + dots a_n x^n$ and $q(x) = b_0 + b_1x + dots +b_mx^m$ (so all $a_i$ and $b_i$ are elements of $F$), you can add those two to obtain
                        $$(p+q)(x) = sum_i=0^max(m,n) (a_i+b_i)x^i$$
                        where we set all $a_i$ and $b_i$ not already defined to $0$.



                        You can also multiply $p$ with a scalar $alpha in F$:
                        $$(alpha p)(x) = sum_i=1^n (alpha a_i)x^i$$



                        So why is a polynomial not a map?



                        Given a polynomial $p(x)in F[x]$, we can define a map $sigma_pcolon F to F, a mapsto p(a)$. If you think of the polynomial $x^2$ as a parabola, you consider this map. But this map is not the same as $p(x)$. For example, take $F=mathbb Z / 2mathbb Z$, the field with two elements. Then the polynomials $p(x) = x^2$ and $q(x) = x$ are different (since they have different coefficients), but the evaluation maps $sigma_pcolon mathbb Z / 2mathbb Z to mathbb Z / 2mathbb Z, xmapsto x^2$ and $sigma_q colon mathbb Z / 2mathbb Z to mathbb Z / 2mathbb Z, xmapsto x$ are the same (since $x^2=x$ for all $x in mathbb Z / 2mathbb Z$).






                        share|cite|improve this answer
























                          up vote
                          2
                          down vote










                          up vote
                          2
                          down vote









                          You should not interprete polynomials over a field $F$ as a map of a function from $F$ to $F$.



                          A polynomial is a formal linear combination over $F$ of the monomials $x^i$. So, first of all, all monomials are also polynomials. Examples are $x^2, x^3, x$ or $0$. Linear combinations of those monomials are finite sums of such monomials, where you are allowed to multiply each monomial with a coefficient $a_i in F$. For $F=mathbb R$, examples are $x^2, 3x^2-5, x^3-7x$ or $x^6+x^2-4$. One important point is that you do not allow infinite sums of monomials.



                          You can add polynomials (as it is neccesary for a vector space). If you have polynomials $p(x)=a_0 + a_1 x + a_2 x^2 + dots a_n x^n$ and $q(x) = b_0 + b_1x + dots +b_mx^m$ (so all $a_i$ and $b_i$ are elements of $F$), you can add those two to obtain
                          $$(p+q)(x) = sum_i=0^max(m,n) (a_i+b_i)x^i$$
                          where we set all $a_i$ and $b_i$ not already defined to $0$.



                          You can also multiply $p$ with a scalar $alpha in F$:
                          $$(alpha p)(x) = sum_i=1^n (alpha a_i)x^i$$



                          So why is a polynomial not a map?



                          Given a polynomial $p(x)in F[x]$, we can define a map $sigma_pcolon F to F, a mapsto p(a)$. If you think of the polynomial $x^2$ as a parabola, you consider this map. But this map is not the same as $p(x)$. For example, take $F=mathbb Z / 2mathbb Z$, the field with two elements. Then the polynomials $p(x) = x^2$ and $q(x) = x$ are different (since they have different coefficients), but the evaluation maps $sigma_pcolon mathbb Z / 2mathbb Z to mathbb Z / 2mathbb Z, xmapsto x^2$ and $sigma_q colon mathbb Z / 2mathbb Z to mathbb Z / 2mathbb Z, xmapsto x$ are the same (since $x^2=x$ for all $x in mathbb Z / 2mathbb Z$).






                          share|cite|improve this answer














                          You should not interprete polynomials over a field $F$ as a map of a function from $F$ to $F$.



                          A polynomial is a formal linear combination over $F$ of the monomials $x^i$. So, first of all, all monomials are also polynomials. Examples are $x^2, x^3, x$ or $0$. Linear combinations of those monomials are finite sums of such monomials, where you are allowed to multiply each monomial with a coefficient $a_i in F$. For $F=mathbb R$, examples are $x^2, 3x^2-5, x^3-7x$ or $x^6+x^2-4$. One important point is that you do not allow infinite sums of monomials.



                          You can add polynomials (as it is neccesary for a vector space). If you have polynomials $p(x)=a_0 + a_1 x + a_2 x^2 + dots a_n x^n$ and $q(x) = b_0 + b_1x + dots +b_mx^m$ (so all $a_i$ and $b_i$ are elements of $F$), you can add those two to obtain
                          $$(p+q)(x) = sum_i=0^max(m,n) (a_i+b_i)x^i$$
                          where we set all $a_i$ and $b_i$ not already defined to $0$.



                          You can also multiply $p$ with a scalar $alpha in F$:
                          $$(alpha p)(x) = sum_i=1^n (alpha a_i)x^i$$



                          So why is a polynomial not a map?



                          Given a polynomial $p(x)in F[x]$, we can define a map $sigma_pcolon F to F, a mapsto p(a)$. If you think of the polynomial $x^2$ as a parabola, you consider this map. But this map is not the same as $p(x)$. For example, take $F=mathbb Z / 2mathbb Z$, the field with two elements. Then the polynomials $p(x) = x^2$ and $q(x) = x$ are different (since they have different coefficients), but the evaluation maps $sigma_pcolon mathbb Z / 2mathbb Z to mathbb Z / 2mathbb Z, xmapsto x^2$ and $sigma_q colon mathbb Z / 2mathbb Z to mathbb Z / 2mathbb Z, xmapsto x$ are the same (since $x^2=x$ for all $x in mathbb Z / 2mathbb Z$).







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                          edited 1 hour ago

























                          answered 1 hour ago









                          Babelfish

                          1,026115




                          1,026115




















                              up vote
                              1
                              down vote













                              There are a lot of questions and potential confusions here, I will try to clarify some of them with the use of examples.



                              $P_1(mathbbR)$ is the set of all linear functions with real coefficients, i.e. $ax^1+b x^0$ where $a$ and $b$ are real. The polynomial $x+5$ is an element of this space because $x+5= 1x^1+ 5 x^0$.



                              On the other hand, $P_2(mathbbC)$ is the set of all quadratic polynomials with complex coefficients. An example element in this space is the polynomial $3x^2+(2+i)x+3$. Another example is $3x^2+0x+1$, which is usually written as $3x^2+1$. This example is actually also an element of $P_2(mathbbR)$ too, because all the coefficients are real.






                              share|cite|improve this answer




















                              • Thank you! The examples you've shown made it click. So we should simply look at this huge sum as an descriptive tool we use to express other polynomials just like conventional vectors. So, $P_n(mathbbF)$ can express anything in $P_n-1(mathbbF)$ by simply placing a 0 (or 0's if necessary) as a coefficient(s) in the term having nth degree (or all terms having less than a degree of n).
                                – Jaigus
                                26 mins ago










                              • How about the statement: "$p_0, p_1, ..., p_m$ in $P_m(mathbb F)$ such that $p_j(5) = 0$ for each j"? This refers to all the polynomials in the set that evaluate to 0 at 5, yet does the subscript "j" in this statement mean each polynomial of degree j that evaluates to 0 at 5 or just each of the polynomials that evaluate to 0 at 5?
                                – Jaigus
                                9 mins ago















                              up vote
                              1
                              down vote













                              There are a lot of questions and potential confusions here, I will try to clarify some of them with the use of examples.



                              $P_1(mathbbR)$ is the set of all linear functions with real coefficients, i.e. $ax^1+b x^0$ where $a$ and $b$ are real. The polynomial $x+5$ is an element of this space because $x+5= 1x^1+ 5 x^0$.



                              On the other hand, $P_2(mathbbC)$ is the set of all quadratic polynomials with complex coefficients. An example element in this space is the polynomial $3x^2+(2+i)x+3$. Another example is $3x^2+0x+1$, which is usually written as $3x^2+1$. This example is actually also an element of $P_2(mathbbR)$ too, because all the coefficients are real.






                              share|cite|improve this answer




















                              • Thank you! The examples you've shown made it click. So we should simply look at this huge sum as an descriptive tool we use to express other polynomials just like conventional vectors. So, $P_n(mathbbF)$ can express anything in $P_n-1(mathbbF)$ by simply placing a 0 (or 0's if necessary) as a coefficient(s) in the term having nth degree (or all terms having less than a degree of n).
                                – Jaigus
                                26 mins ago










                              • How about the statement: "$p_0, p_1, ..., p_m$ in $P_m(mathbb F)$ such that $p_j(5) = 0$ for each j"? This refers to all the polynomials in the set that evaluate to 0 at 5, yet does the subscript "j" in this statement mean each polynomial of degree j that evaluates to 0 at 5 or just each of the polynomials that evaluate to 0 at 5?
                                – Jaigus
                                9 mins ago













                              up vote
                              1
                              down vote










                              up vote
                              1
                              down vote









                              There are a lot of questions and potential confusions here, I will try to clarify some of them with the use of examples.



                              $P_1(mathbbR)$ is the set of all linear functions with real coefficients, i.e. $ax^1+b x^0$ where $a$ and $b$ are real. The polynomial $x+5$ is an element of this space because $x+5= 1x^1+ 5 x^0$.



                              On the other hand, $P_2(mathbbC)$ is the set of all quadratic polynomials with complex coefficients. An example element in this space is the polynomial $3x^2+(2+i)x+3$. Another example is $3x^2+0x+1$, which is usually written as $3x^2+1$. This example is actually also an element of $P_2(mathbbR)$ too, because all the coefficients are real.






                              share|cite|improve this answer












                              There are a lot of questions and potential confusions here, I will try to clarify some of them with the use of examples.



                              $P_1(mathbbR)$ is the set of all linear functions with real coefficients, i.e. $ax^1+b x^0$ where $a$ and $b$ are real. The polynomial $x+5$ is an element of this space because $x+5= 1x^1+ 5 x^0$.



                              On the other hand, $P_2(mathbbC)$ is the set of all quadratic polynomials with complex coefficients. An example element in this space is the polynomial $3x^2+(2+i)x+3$. Another example is $3x^2+0x+1$, which is usually written as $3x^2+1$. This example is actually also an element of $P_2(mathbbR)$ too, because all the coefficients are real.







                              share|cite|improve this answer












                              share|cite|improve this answer



                              share|cite|improve this answer










                              answered 1 hour ago









                              Manano

                              1217




                              1217











                              • Thank you! The examples you've shown made it click. So we should simply look at this huge sum as an descriptive tool we use to express other polynomials just like conventional vectors. So, $P_n(mathbbF)$ can express anything in $P_n-1(mathbbF)$ by simply placing a 0 (or 0's if necessary) as a coefficient(s) in the term having nth degree (or all terms having less than a degree of n).
                                – Jaigus
                                26 mins ago










                              • How about the statement: "$p_0, p_1, ..., p_m$ in $P_m(mathbb F)$ such that $p_j(5) = 0$ for each j"? This refers to all the polynomials in the set that evaluate to 0 at 5, yet does the subscript "j" in this statement mean each polynomial of degree j that evaluates to 0 at 5 or just each of the polynomials that evaluate to 0 at 5?
                                – Jaigus
                                9 mins ago

















                              • Thank you! The examples you've shown made it click. So we should simply look at this huge sum as an descriptive tool we use to express other polynomials just like conventional vectors. So, $P_n(mathbbF)$ can express anything in $P_n-1(mathbbF)$ by simply placing a 0 (or 0's if necessary) as a coefficient(s) in the term having nth degree (or all terms having less than a degree of n).
                                – Jaigus
                                26 mins ago










                              • How about the statement: "$p_0, p_1, ..., p_m$ in $P_m(mathbb F)$ such that $p_j(5) = 0$ for each j"? This refers to all the polynomials in the set that evaluate to 0 at 5, yet does the subscript "j" in this statement mean each polynomial of degree j that evaluates to 0 at 5 or just each of the polynomials that evaluate to 0 at 5?
                                – Jaigus
                                9 mins ago
















                              Thank you! The examples you've shown made it click. So we should simply look at this huge sum as an descriptive tool we use to express other polynomials just like conventional vectors. So, $P_n(mathbbF)$ can express anything in $P_n-1(mathbbF)$ by simply placing a 0 (or 0's if necessary) as a coefficient(s) in the term having nth degree (or all terms having less than a degree of n).
                              – Jaigus
                              26 mins ago




                              Thank you! The examples you've shown made it click. So we should simply look at this huge sum as an descriptive tool we use to express other polynomials just like conventional vectors. So, $P_n(mathbbF)$ can express anything in $P_n-1(mathbbF)$ by simply placing a 0 (or 0's if necessary) as a coefficient(s) in the term having nth degree (or all terms having less than a degree of n).
                              – Jaigus
                              26 mins ago












                              How about the statement: "$p_0, p_1, ..., p_m$ in $P_m(mathbb F)$ such that $p_j(5) = 0$ for each j"? This refers to all the polynomials in the set that evaluate to 0 at 5, yet does the subscript "j" in this statement mean each polynomial of degree j that evaluates to 0 at 5 or just each of the polynomials that evaluate to 0 at 5?
                              – Jaigus
                              9 mins ago





                              How about the statement: "$p_0, p_1, ..., p_m$ in $P_m(mathbb F)$ such that $p_j(5) = 0$ for each j"? This refers to all the polynomials in the set that evaluate to 0 at 5, yet does the subscript "j" in this statement mean each polynomial of degree j that evaluates to 0 at 5 or just each of the polynomials that evaluate to 0 at 5?
                              – Jaigus
                              9 mins ago


















                               

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