Part of the series

Several example codes

~1 min read • Updated Oct 13, 2025

Program Overview

This Python program reads the number of terms in a polynomial (up to 100), stores the coefficients in an array, then reads the value of x and computes:
p = a₀xⁿ + a₁xⁿ⁻¹ + ... + aₙ


Python Code:


def evaluate_polynomial(coeffs: list[float], x: float) -> float:
    n = len(coeffs)
    p = 0.0
    for i in range(n):
        power = n - 1 - i
        p += coeffs[i] * (x ** power)
    return p

# Read number of terms
n = int(input("Enter number of polynomial terms (max 100): "))
if n > 100 or n <= 0:
    print("Invalid term count.")
    exit()

# Read coefficients
coeffs = []
for i in range(n):
    a = float(input(f"Enter coefficient a{i}: "))
    coeffs.append(a)

# Read x value
x = float(input("Enter value for x: "))

# Compute and display result
p = evaluate_polynomial(coeffs, x)
print(f"Polynomial value is: {p:.4f}")

Sample Output:


Term count: 4  
Coefficients: 2 3 -1 5  
x = 2  
Calculation: 2×2³ + 3×2² + (-1)×2¹ + 5 = 31  
Output: Polynomial value is: 31.0000

Written & researched by Dr. Shahin Siami