A monomial is an expression in algebra that contains one term, like 3xy. Monomials include: numbers, whole numbers and variables that are multiplied together, and variables that are multiplied together. Any number, all by itself, is a monomial, like 5 or 2700. A monomial can also be a variable, like m or b. It can also be a combination of these, like 98b or 7rxyz.
There are two rules to remember about monomials:
- A monomial multiplied by a monomial is also a monomial.
2 * 2 = 4 (a monomial)
2 * x = 2x
2 * 6 = 12
2 * y = 2y
- A monomial multiplied by a constant is also a monomial.
Examples: Numbers That Are Monomials
- 12345678910
- 100
- 500
- 1,000
- 5,000
- 10,000
- 3,598,772
- 4,000,000
- 14,000,000
- 14,100,300
- 20,000,000
Examples: Variables That Are Monomials
- x
- y
- xy
- abc
- ggg
- mx
- b
- w
- l
- s
- bxy
- a
- ax
Examples: Combinations of Numbers and Variables That Are Monomials
- 1x
- 2y2
- 32x5y
- 653abc
- 2g7g9g
A monomial is an algebraic expression with only one term, so x * y or 47x + 2 are not monomials. All algebraic expressions with one term, however, are examples of monomials – so there are countless examples that encompass the entire number system.
