What is the degree of the polynomial f, of, xf(x) defined below?

f, of, x, equals, minus, 4, plus, 6, x, to the power 5 , minus, 2, x, cubed, plus, 2, x, to the power 4 , minus, 10, x, squared

f(x)=−4+6x
5
−2x
3
+2x
4
−10x
2

Solve the problem just like the example below
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What is the degree of the polynomial f, of, xf(x) defined below?
f, of, x, equals, minus, 2, x, to the power 7 , plus, 10, x, to the power 4 , minus, 4, x, to the power 6 , minus, 9, x, cubed, minus, 4, x, to the power 5
f(x)=−2x
7
+10x
4
−4x
6
−9x
3
−4x
5

Put into standard form: f, of, x, equals, minus, 2, x, to the power 7 , minus, 4, x, to the power 6 , minus, 4, x, to the power 5 , plus, 10, x, to the power 4 , minus, 9, x, cubed
f(x)=−2x
7
−4x
6
−4x
5
+10x
4
−9x
3


Leading Term: minus, 2, x, to the power 7
−2x
7

Degree: 7

1 answer

To find the degree of the polynomial \( f(x) = -4 + 6x^5 - 2x^3 + 2x^4 - 10x^2 \), we will first put it into standard form, where the terms are arranged in descending order of their degrees.

Here are the terms of \( f(x) \):

  • \( 6x^5 \)
  • \( 2x^4 \)
  • \( -2x^3 \)
  • \( -10x^2 \)
  • \( -4 \)

Putting these into standard form, we have:

\[ f(x) = 6x^5 + 2x^4 - 2x^3 - 10x^2 - 4 \]

Now, we identify the leading term. The leading term is the term with the highest degree, which is \( 6x^5 \).

Thus, the leading term is \( 6x^5 \).

To find the degree of the polynomial, we look at the exponent of the leading term:

Degree: \( 5 \)

So, summarizing the answer:

  • \( f(x) = 6x^5 + 2x^4 - 2x^3 - 10x^2 - 4 \)
  • Leading Term: \( 6x^5 \)
  • Degree: \( 5 \)