Question

Give the number of terms in the algebraic expression and also give the numerical coefficient of the second term.

-3 a + 30b

Answer 1

• 2 terms
• second coefficient: 30

Explanation:

You want the number of terms and the second coefficient in the expression ...

-3a +30b

Terms

In a simplified polynomial expressed as a sum of products, each of the products is a "term." This expression has two terms:

• -3a
• 30b

The sign separating terms in the sum is generally considered to be part of the following term. If this were written 30b -3a, one of the terms would still be -3a.

Coefficient

If each variable value is set to 1 in a term of a polynomial expression, the resulting value is the coefficient of that term. In general, this will be the numerical multiplier of the variables.

30b = 30(1) = 30 . . . . . when b=1

The coefficient of the second term is 30.