Question: What is the degree of the following polynomial? \[ -3x^5 + 15x^4 + 8 \]

What is the degree of the following polynomial?

\[ -3x^5 + 15x^4 + 8 \]

Solution

To find the degree of a polynomial, look for the term with the highest power of the variable. In the polynomial \[ -3x^5 + 15x^4 + 8 \] the term with the highest power is \(-3x^5\). The degree is the exponent of this term, which is 5. Therefore, the degree of the polynomial is 5.