Question 1129728
What is the coefficient in this expression ? 40 - 3x

Is it -3 or 3 ?

The way I read this expression is 40 - (+3x) so the coefficient should be 3.

Isn't the negative sign the SUBTRACTION operation rather than a negative integer?

Please correct me if I am wrong.
<pre>The other person who answered you that it's 3 has absolutely no clue what a coefficient is. This is such a simple problem, and she can't give you a correct answer.
IGNORE, IGNORE, IGNORE her wrong answer. The coefficient is - 3.
Even if you were to distribute 40 - (+ 3x) as you wrote, when you DISTRIBUTE the - 1 (- and an INVISIBLE 1 before the parentheses), you still end up with 40 - 3x, 
as when you multiply a negative (-) and a positive (+), you end up with a negative (-). Unless of course you were to rewrite the expression as: 40 + (- 3x), in which
case you'll see that the coefficient is REALLY - 3. So, it doesn't make a bit of sense to change the expression because you'll end up with the same thing you started with.

A little lesson: ANY NUMBER/EXPRESSION takes the sign that's before the NUMBER/EXPRESSION. In other words, 40 is actually + 40, and - 3x is actually - 3 * x, with 
the COEFFICIENT on x being - 3, NOT + 3. Furthermore, negative (-) is pretty much the SAME as subtraction (-).
I hope this clears up your UNCERTAINTY and like certain things in life, do not take one person's opinion. Always try to get another, and another, even 10 or any 
number of opinions that it'll take for you to decide which is CORRECT, and who's leading you astray by steering you wrong!!