Generally, in mathematics, a canonical form is a function that is written in the most standard, conventional, and logical way. For example, polynomials are usually written with the terms in descending powers: it is more usual to write x² + x + 30 than x + 30 + x², although the two forms are essentially equivalent.

See also

• normal form
• canonical form (Boolean algebra)
• Jordan normal form (often called Jordan canonical form)