Detailed Instructions: In this task you will be given a text passage from a trivia quiz. You should choose the category this question belongs to from these categories: History, Science, Social Science, Fine Arts, Literature. You can only choose one category, so if in doubt, please choose the closest match.
Q: The determinant of a Vandermonde matrix is usually called one of these things. Power sums are related to "symmetric" varieties of these things by the Newton identities. The solutions of these things can be quickly tested with Horner's method. The elementary symmetric function for these things are defined by Vieta's formulas. Their types of solutions can be determined by using (*) Descartes's rule of signs. A complex solution to these functions always exists according to the fundamental theorem of algebra. Their degree is equal to their number of roots. For 10 points, name these functions that consist of a sum of variables raised to non-negative integer powers and multiplied by coefficients, such as cubics and quadratics.
A:
Science