SOLUTION: Please help me to understand how to solve this problem. Arrange in descending exponent form and give the degree. {{{8-x}}} I am totally lost.

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Question 94063: Please help me to understand how to solve this problem. Arrange in descending exponent form and give the degree.
I am totally lost.
Answer by bucky(2189) (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Descending order involves the exponents of x. In descending order the exponents of x decrease
as you read from left to right.
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The following is an example of the descending order of x:
.

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Of course the exponents could be bigger than the 5 I started with. And each of the terms
in this descending order may have a multiplier associated with it ... for example, the series
of terms
.

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is arranged in descending powers of x. Some of the multipliers could be zero, and that
would cause that power of x to disappear.
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One thing to note. What is ? Remember the rule that says anything raised to
a zero power is equal to 1. So . And also remember the rule that says
anything raised to the first power is itself. So .
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Now back to your problem you are given and asked to arrange it in descending
powers of x.
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Note that . And note that
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Therefore, the answer to your problem is that in descending powers of x, the numbers
are:
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and the minus x is to the first power, and the +8 is to the zero power. Therefore,
the highest exponent involved is 1 and this makes it a first degree or first order binomial.
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Hope this is what you were looking for.