College

Unit 2 Lesson 3 Problem 3

Identify the degree, leading coefficient (LC), and constant value of each of the following polynomials:

a. [tex]f(x)=x^3-8x^2-x+8[/tex]

- Degree: [tex]$\square$[/tex]
- LC: [tex]$\square$[/tex]
- Constant: [tex]$\square$[/tex]

c. [tex]g(x)=13.2x^3+3x^4-x-4.4[/tex]

- Degree: [tex]$\square$[/tex]
- LC: [tex]$\square$[/tex]
- Constant: [tex]$\square$[/tex]

(Note: Type any negative numbers without a space between the sign and the number, e.g., -17. Do NOT include commas for spacing between sets of three digits, e.g., 250000. Include [tex]$=0$[/tex] before the decimal point when necessary, e.g., 0.2.)

Answer :

Let's analyze the given polynomials one by one to identify their degree, leading coefficient, and constant term:

### a. For the polynomial [tex]\( f(x) = x^3 - 8x^2 - x + 8 \)[/tex]:

1. Degree:
- The degree of a polynomial is the highest power of the variable [tex]\( x \)[/tex].
- In this polynomial, the highest power of [tex]\( x \)[/tex] is 3 (from the term [tex]\( x^3 \)[/tex]).
- So, the degree is 3.

2. Leading Coefficient:
- The leading coefficient is the coefficient of the term with the highest degree.
- Here, the term with the highest degree is [tex]\( x^3 \)[/tex], and its coefficient is 1.
- Thus, the leading coefficient is 1.

3. Constant:
- The constant term is the term without any variable [tex]\( x \)[/tex].
- In this polynomial, the constant term is 8.
- Therefore, the constant is 8.

### c. For the polynomial [tex]\( g(x) = 13.2x^3 + 3x^4 - x - 4.4 \)[/tex]:

1. Degree:
- The degree is determined by the highest power of [tex]\( x \)[/tex].
- In this case, the highest power is 4 (from the term [tex]\( 3x^4 \)[/tex]).
- So, the degree of the polynomial is 4.

2. Leading Coefficient:
- The leading coefficient is the coefficient of the term with the highest degree.
- For this polynomial, the term with the highest degree is [tex]\( 3x^4 \)[/tex], and its coefficient is 3.
- Thus, the leading coefficient is 3.

3. Constant:
- The constant term is found by looking for the term with no [tex]\( x \)[/tex] in it.
- Here, the constant is [tex]\(-4.4\)[/tex].
- Therefore, the constant is [tex]\(-4.4\)[/tex].

In conclusion:
- For [tex]\( f(x) = x^3 - 8x^2 - x + 8 \)[/tex]:
- Degree: 3
- Leading Coefficient: 1
- Constant: 8

- For [tex]\( g(x) = 13.2x^3 + 3x^4 - x - 4.4 \)[/tex]:
- Degree: 4
- Leading Coefficient: 3
- Constant: [tex]\(-4.4\)[/tex]