Questions: Consider the algebraic expression sqrt(7) x^19 + 13.7 x^14 + (pi/2) x^7 + 1/8.
What is the degree of this polynomial?
Identify the constant term.
Identify the leading coefficient.
Identify the leading term.
Transcript text: Consider the algebraic expression $\sqrt{7} x^{19}+13.7 x^{14}+\frac{\pi}{2} x^{7}+\frac{1}{8}$.
What is the degree of this polynomial?
$\square$
Identify the constant term.
$\square$
Identify the leading coefficient.
$\square$
Identify the leading term.
$\square$
Solution
Solution Steps
Solution Approach
Degree of the Polynomial: The degree of a polynomial is the highest power of the variable \( x \) in the expression.
Constant Term: The constant term is the term in the polynomial that does not contain any variables.
Leading Coefficient: The leading coefficient is the coefficient of the term with the highest power of \( x \).
Leading Term: The leading term is the term with the highest power of \( x \).
Step 1: Degree of the Polynomial
The degree of the polynomial \( \sqrt{7} x^{19} + 13.7 x^{14} + \frac{\pi}{2} x^{7} + \frac{1}{8} \) is determined by the highest power of \( x \). In this case, the highest power is \( 19 \). Therefore, the degree is:
\[
\text{Degree} = 19
\]
Step 2: Constant Term
The constant term in the polynomial is the term that does not contain the variable \( x \). From the expression, the constant term is:
\[
\text{Constant Term} = \frac{1}{8} = 0.125
\]
Step 3: Leading Coefficient
The leading coefficient is the coefficient of the term with the highest power of \( x \). For the term \( \sqrt{7} x^{19} \), the leading coefficient is:
\[
\text{Leading Coefficient} = \sqrt{7} \approx 2.6458
\]
Step 4: Leading Term
The leading term is the term with the highest power of \( x \), which is:
\[
\text{Leading Term} = \sqrt{7} x^{19}
\]