Question

What is the 3rd term when −2h4 + 5h2 − 3 − 2h − 8h3 is arranged in descending order?

Answer 1

Answer: The third term is
`5h^2`.

Step-by-step explanation:

The given expression is,

`-2h^4+5h^2-3-2h-8h^3`

It is a polynomial function and the standard form of the polynomial function is,

`P(x)=a_nx^n+a_(n-1)x^(n-1)+...+a_1x+a_0`

Where
`a_n,a_(n-1),...,a_1,a_0` are constant. The terms are arranged according to the degree of x. It means the highest degree comes first.

Similarly,

`P(h)=-2h^4+5h^2-3-2h-8h^3`

`P(h)=-2h^4-8h^3+5h^2-2h-3`

Now the terms are arranged in descending order. The third term is
`5h^2`.