Did you know that the expressions you’ve shown are all examples of polynomial functions, which are fundamental in algebra? Polynomials like these are often used to model real-life situations, from predicting profits and losses in business to designing roller coasters! Each term can represent different variables or constants that capture various aspects of a situation.

When working with polynomials, one common mistake is failing to distribute each term properly. For instance, when expanding , it’s easy to forget to apply the distributive property to both terms in the first parenthesis to both terms in the second. Always double-check your work for accuracy, and don’t forget to combine like terms at the end!