SOLUTION: Determine the leading term, leading coefficient, and the degree of the polynomial -x - 4x^2 - 4x^3 - 3x^5 + 4 what do they mean

Algebra ->  Problems-with-consecutive-odd-even-integers -> SOLUTION: Determine the leading term, leading coefficient, and the degree of the polynomial -x - 4x^2 - 4x^3 - 3x^5 + 4 what do they mean      Log On


   

Question 323333: Determine the leading term, leading coefficient, and the degree of the polynomial
-x - 4x^2 - 4x^3 - 3x^5 + 4 what do they mean
Answer by Fombitz(32388) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Order the terms of the polynomial in decreasing order of powers of x.
x%5E5
x%5E4
x%5E3
x%5E2
x%5E1
x%5E0
In this case, it would be,
-3x%5E5-4x%5E3-4x%5E2-x%2B4
The leading term is then,-3x%5E5
The leading coefficient (the constant in front of the highest power of x) is -3
The degree (the highest power of x) is 5.