# How do you determine if (3x)/(5y) is a polynomial and if so, is it a monomial, binomial, or trinomial?

Jan 26, 2018

$\frac{3 x}{5 y}$ is not a monomial, binomial, trinomial, or polynomial.

#### Explanation:

To find out why it's not classified, let's rewrite $\frac{3 x}{5 y}$:

$\frac{3 x}{5 y} = 3 x \cdot \frac{1}{5 y} = 3 x \cdot 5 {y}^{-} 1$

An expression with a negative exponent cannot be classified as a polynomial.

I recommend watching this video about classifying polynomials including monomials, binomials, trinomials, and none of these.