ABSTRACT
Polynomial rings are probably the most important examples of rings. The main purpose of this section is to introduce some terminology and basic results which are necessary to discuss these rings. Since polynomials are special power series, it is natural to also include power series rings in the discussion. This section has a preparatory character; deeper results will be obtained only in subsequent sections, as we dwell into the general theory in greater depth. Let us start by defining the degree of a polynomial.
