Degree
When using the term "quadratic polynomial", authors sometimes mean "having degree exactly 2", and sometimes "having degree at most 2". If the degree is less than 2, this may be called a "degenerate case". Usually the context will establish which of the two is meant.
Sometimes the word "order" is used with the meaning of "degree", e.g. a second-order polynomial.
Read more about this topic: Quadratic Polynomial
Famous quotes containing the word degree:
“I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than those attending too small a degree of it.”
—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)
“Words are made for a certain exactness of thought, as tears are for a certain degree of pain. What is least distinct cannot be named; what is clearest is unutterable.”
—René Daumal (1908–1944)
“There are no ninety degree angles in the Garden of Delight.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)