Well I am trying to write a simple "polynomial engine" that has two functions:

  • simplifyPolynomial
  • solvePolynomial

I just don't know where to start:(
I can't think of a method to use. I don't think there are any polynomial libraries in java?
My question is: do any of you have any idea on a simple way to simplify polynomials?

Please help!

Thanks in advanced,
Andrew

So a basic question, you won't find any polynomial library
What is the probelm with the code you wrote ?

That's the problem, I don't have any code I have written! I am very talented at math or at least I was when I was doing algebra in 5th grade. So I keep going through the steps of evaluating:

  1. Combine alike terms
  2. Re-order alphabetically

I get stuck at the very first item "Combine alike terms" I just don't know how I would do that, since the user, is supposed to enter the polynomial, and I get it as a string.

I know that if I can evaluate the polynomial then solving it becomes easy if you know the unknowns.

Help please,

Andrew

I don't know if I should make a new thread for this so I will use this one which I have created!

Ok well I wrote a class that simplifies polynomials, but I always get weird answers. Take a look at the code and then at the bottom of the post.

package polynomialhelper;
import javax.swing.*;

/**
 * This class helps with polynomials!
 * @author Andrew
 */
public class polynomialEngine {

    /**
     * Class constructor nothing interesting.
     */
    public polynomialEngine() {
    }

    /**
     *
     * @param x the array of x coefficients
     * @param x2 the array of x<sup>2</sup> coefficients
     * @param coeff coefficient at the end
     * @return polynomial in string state.
     */
    public String simplifyPolynomial(float[] x, float[] x2, float coeff) {
        String polynomial = "Error";
        float xs = 0, x2s = 0;

        for(int i = 0; i <3; i++) {
            xs = xs + x[i];
            x2s += x2[i];
        }

        JOptionPane.showConfirmDialog(null, x2s);

        if ( xs != 0 & x2s !=0 ) {
        polynomial = "<html>" + String.valueOf(x2s) + "x<sup>2</sup>+" + String.valueOf(xs) + "x+" + String.valueOf(coeff) + "</html>";
        }

 else if (xs != 0 & x2s == 0) {
        polynomial = "<html>" + String.valueOf(xs) + "x" + "+" + String.valueOf(coeff) + "</html>";
        }

 else if (xs == 0 & x2s != 0) {
        polynomial = "<html>" + String.valueOf(x2s) + "x<sup>2</sup>+" + String.valueOf(coeff) + "</html>";
        }

 else if (xs == 0 & x2s == 0) {
            polynomial = "<html>" + String.valueOf(coeff) + "</html>";
        }

 else if (xs != 0 & x2s != 0 & coeff == 0) {
        polynomial = "<html>" + String.valueOf(x2s) + "x<sup>2</sup>+" + String.valueOf(xs) + "x" + "</html>";
        }

 else if (xs != 0 & x2s == 0 & coeff == 0) {
        polynomial ="<html>" +  String.valueOf(xs) + "x" + "</html>";
        }

 else if (xs == 0 & x2s != 0) {
        polynomial = "<html>" +  String.valueOf(x2s) + "x<sup>2</sup>" + "</html>";
        }

else {
           polynomial = "Error please check data!";
            JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, "Error please check the data you enter!", "Polynomial Helper", JOptionPane.ERROR_MESSAGE);



}


        return polynomial;

    }
}

Please note that I am using this class in an other program, it has a limit of three coefficients per-variable and here are some of the test values I passed and here is what I got:

1st x value: 1
2nd x value: 2
3rd x value: 3
1st x^2 value: 1
2nd x^2 value: 2
3rd x^3 value: 3
Coeff. value : 4

Answer: 6x^2 + 6x + 4 (totally right)


1st x value: 1
2nd x value: 3
3rd x value: 5
1st x^2 value: 2
2nd x^2 value: 4
3rd x^3 value: 6
Coeff. value : 7

Answer: 11x^2 + 9x + 7

What is wrong with my code?:(

My package com.perisic.ring (available at ring.perisic.com) provides polynomial arithmetic.

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