Introduction to Linear Polynomials

Chapter at a glance

Algebraic expressions, polynomials in one variable and their degree, with a focus on linear polynomials, linear patterns, linear growth and decay, and graphs of y = ax + b.

What this chapter covers

• 2.1 Introduction
• 2.2 Linear Polynomials
• 2.3 Exploring Linear Patterns
• 2.4 Linear Growth and Linear Decay
• 2.5 Linear Relationships
• 2.6 Visualising Linear Relationships

Key points

• The degree of a univariate polynomial is the highest power of its variable; a degree-1 polynomial (like 2x + 3) is linear.
• A linear pattern has a constant difference between consecutive terms.
• Linear growth increases by a fixed amount per interval (positive slope); linear decay decreases by a fixed amount (negative slope).
• y = ax + b is a straight line with slope a and y-intercept b; when b = 0 it passes through the origin.
• Lines with the same slope a and different b are parallel.

Read the NCERT chapter

Read this chapter in the official NCERT textbook Ganita Manjari (2026-27 edition) for free on ncert.nic.in.

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