ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Trinomial

A trinomial is like a group of 3 things stuck together that you can add or subtract. Just like how you might have a group of 3 toys that you can count or take away from each other.

In math, trinomials usually have some letters (like x, y or z) mixed in with numbers. These letters mean that you can put in different values for them to make the trinomial change.

For example, let's pretend we have the trinomial "x² + 3x + 2". We can put in different values for "x" (like 1, 2, 3, etc.) and see what happens. When we put in 1 for "x", we get: 1² + (3 x 1) + 2 = 6. When we put in 2 for "x", we get: 2² + (3 x 2) + 2 = 12.

So you see, the trinomial changes depending on what values we put in for the letters. This is why trinomials are important in math, especially in algebra.