Question

What is the degree of 12x4 - 8x + 4x2 - 3?

Answer 1

The degree is:

4

Work/explanation:

I will start by defining what a degree is. When talking about polynomials, the degree of a polynomial is simply the highest exponent of the polynomial.

So, let's quickly check the exponents of the polynomial.

The exponent of the term
`\sf{12x^4}` is 4;

the exponent of the term -8x is 1;

the exponent of the term
`\sf{4x^2}` is 2;

the exponent of the term -3 is 1.

Clearly, the highest one is 4.

Hence, the degree of the polynomial is 4.

Answer 2

Answer: 4

Explanation:

The degree is the largest exponent on the variable.

4