To determine the degree of the polynomial associated with a sequence based on successive differences, follow these steps:
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List the first differences: Compute the differences between consecutive terms of the sequence. This is the first difference.
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Continue finding differences: Take the differences of the first differences to get the second differences, then the third differences, and so on.
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Identify when differences stabilize: The degree of the polynomial is equal to the number of times you need to compute differences until you reach a row of differences that are constant (do not change anymore).
For example:
- If the first differences are not constant but the second differences are constant, the polynomial is of degree 2.
- If the second differences are not constant but the third differences are constant, the polynomial is of degree 3, and so on.
If you provide the values of the sequence, I can assist you in determining the degree of the associated polynomial.