A polynomial is a convoluted code.
In mathematics , a polynomial is an expression consisting of variables ( or indeterminates ) and coefficients , that involves only the operations of addition , subtraction , multiplication , and non-negative integer exponents . For example , they are used to form polynomial equations , which encode a wide range of problems , from elementary word problems to complicated problems in the sciences ; they are used to define polynomial functions , which appear in settings ranging from basic chemistry and physics to economics and social science ; they are used in calculus and numerical analysis to approximate other functions . In coding theory , a polynomial code is a type of linear code whose set of valid code words consists of those polynomials ( usually of some fixed length ) that are divisible by a given fixed polynomial ( of shorter length , called the generator polynomial ) .