In mathematics, more precisely in algebra, an indeterminate is a quantity that is not known, and cannot be solved for. An indeterminate is different from a variable, which is solvable, at least conditionally, from a given equation or set of equations. To make this distinction in an example, compare these two situations. Mathematics, often abbreviated maths in Commonwealth English and math in American English, is the study of abstraction. ... Algebra is a branch of mathematics which may be roughly characterized as a generalization and extension of arithmetic, in which symbols are employed to denote operations, and letters to represent number and quantity; it also refers to a particular kind of abstract algebra structure, the algebra over a field. ... In computer science and mathematics, a variable is a symbol denoting a quantity or symbolic representation. ... This article is about equations in mathematics. ...

1. Let x be a variable such that

2 + 3x = a + bx,

where a and b are some rational numbers. Then, we can solve for x, to find In mathematics, a rational number (or informally fraction) is a ratio of two integers, usually written as the vulgar fraction a/b, where b is not zero. ...

x = (a − 2) / (3 − b).

Any values of a and b with b not 3 will yield a value for x.

2. Let x be an indeterminate such that

2 + 3x = a + bx,

where a and b are again rational numbers. Since x cannot be solved for, we must have 2 = a and 3 = b.

See also

• Polynomial

This article incorporates material from indeterminate  (http://planetmath.org/?op=getobj&from=objects&id=6444) on PlanetMath, which is licensed under the GFDL. In mathematics, polynomial functions, or polynomials, are an important class of simple and smooth functions. ... PlanetMath is a free, collaborative, online mathematics encyclopedia. ...