A polynomial triangle is an array whose inputs are the coefficients in
integral powers of a polynomial. Although polynomial coefficients have appeared
in several works, there is no systematic treatise on this topic. In this paper
we plan to fill this gap. We describe some aspects of these arrays, which
generalize similar properties of the binomial coefficients. Some combinatorial
models enumerated by polynomial coefficients, including lattice paths model,
spin chain model and scores in a drawing game, are introduced. Several known
binomial identities are then extended. In addition, we calculate recursively
generating functions of column sequences. Interesting corollaries follow from
these recurrence relations such as new formulae for the Fibonacci numbers and
Hermite polynomials in terms of trinomial coefficients. Finally, properties of
the entropy density function that characterizes polynomial coefficients in the
thermodynamical limit are studied in details.Comment: 24 pages with 1 figure eps include