=“ ES NOE NILES Theorem 1. if and B are vo polynomials then: (i) deg(A+ B) < max(degA,deg 8), with the equality ifdeg A+ deg B (ii) deg(A- B) = degA+ degB. 0 The conventional equality deg0 = —s2 actually arose from these properties of degrees, as else the equality (ii) would not be always true Unlike a sum, difference and product, a quotient of two polynomials is not necessarily a polyno- mial. Instead, like integers, they can be divided with a residue. Theorem 2. Given polynomials A and B 7 0, there are unique polynomials Q (quotient) and R (residue) such that A=BQ+R and degR< degB. Proof, Let A(x) = apx"+----+ ay and B(x) = bya’ +--+ Bp, where anby #0. Assume Kis fixed and use induction on n. For n< k the statement is trivial. Suppose that n = N > & and that the statement is true for a< N. Then A(x) = A(x) — #x"~'B(x) is a polynomial of degree less than a (for its coefficient at x" iz zero); hence by the inductive assumption there are unique polynomials Q; and R such that 4; = BQ; + Rand deg R. But this also implies A=BOQ+R, where An) = Bas Ql) o i Example 2. The quotient upon division of A(x) = x4 +37 —1 by B(x) =. —x—3 is x+2 with the residue Sx+ 5, as geval 4, Sets woxsg SS STS We say that polynomial A is divisible by polynomial B if the remainder R when A is divided by Bequal to 0, i.e. if there is a polynomial Qsuch that A= BQ.