| area model | a graphic representation of a multiplication problem, in which the length and width of a rectangle are the factors and the area is the product |
| binomial | a sum of two monomials, such as 3x2 + 7 |
| coefficient | a number that multiplies a variable |
| like terms | two or more monomials that contain the same variables raised to the same powers, regardless of their coefficients. For example, 2x2y and -8x2y are like terms because they have the same variables raised to the same exponents. |
| monomial | a number, a variable, or a product of a number and one or more variables with whole number exponents, such as -5, x, and 8xy3 |
| polynomial | a monomial or sum of monomials, like 4x2 + 3x – 10 |
| special product | a product resulting from binomial multiplication that has certain characteristics. For example x2 – 25 is called a special product because both its terms are perfect squares and it can be factored into (x + 5)(x – 5). |
| term | a value in a sequence--the first value in a sequence is the 1st term, the second value is the 2nd term, and so on; a term is also any of the monomials that make up a polynomial |