Which of the following is a monomial?

A. [tex]20x^{11} - 3x[/tex]

B. [tex]11x - 9[/tex]

C. [tex]\frac{9}{x}[/tex]

D. [tex]20x^{11}[/tex]



Answer :

Sure, let's determine which one of the given expressions is a monomial.

A monomial is an algebraic expression that consists of only one term. That term may be a constant, a variable, or a product of constants and variables with non-negative integer exponents.

Let's analyze each option:

A. [tex]\(20 x^{11} - 3x\)[/tex]:
- This expression consists of two terms, [tex]\(20 x^{11}\)[/tex] and [tex]\(-3x\)[/tex].
- Since it has more than one term, it is not a monomial.

B. [tex]\(11 x - 9\)[/tex]:
- This expression consists of two terms, [tex]\(11x\)[/tex] and [tex]\(-9\)[/tex].
- Since it has more than one term, it is not a monomial.

C. [tex]\(\frac{9}{x}\)[/tex]:
- This can be rewritten as [tex]\(9x^{-1}\)[/tex] which involves a negative exponent.
- Monomials cannot have negative exponents, so this is not a monomial.

D. [tex]\(20 x^{11}\)[/tex]:
- This expression consists of a single term and the exponent [tex]\(11\)[/tex] is a non-negative integer.
- This fits the definition of a monomial.

Therefore, the correct answer is:

D. [tex]\(20 x^{11}\)[/tex]