Final answer:
The degree of the polynomial − 1/2 x + 3 is 1, making it a linear polynomial since it contains the variable x to the first power.
Step-by-step explanation:
The degree of a polynomial is the highest power of the variable in the polynomial. In the polynomial − 1/2 x + 3, the highest power of the variable x is 1, since x is to the first power (since x without a written exponent implicitly has an exponent of 1).
Therefore, the degree of the polynomial − 1/2 x + 3 is 1. This makes it a linear polynomial since the highest exponent of the variable is one. Linear polynomials have a degree of 1, and they graph as a straight line in the coordinate system.