College Algebra (10th Edition)

Published by Pearson
ISBN 10: 0321979478
ISBN 13: 978-0-32197-947-6

Chapter 5 - Section 5.1 - Polynomial Functions and Models - 5.1 Assess Your Understanding - Page 338: 22

Answer

It is a polynomial. Degree: 2 Leading term: $x^2$ Constant: 0 $x^2-x$

Work Step by Step

First, we simplify: $x(x-1)=x^2 -x$ By definition, a polynomial is a function containing only terms where x is raised to a positive power or constants. x is raised to the second power, and x is raised to the first power in the term $-x$, so we see that it is a polynomial. The degree is equal to the exponent of the term with the highest exponent, so the degree is 2. The term that has the highest degree, $x^2$, is always the leading term. Finally, there are no constants listed, so the constant is 0.
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