Answer
(a)
$-2x^5$: degree = 5
$\\7$: degree = 0
$\\-3x^2$: degree = 2
$\\x$: degree = 1
(b)
leading term = $-2x^5$
leading coefficient = $-2$
(c)
degree of the polynomial = $5$
Work Step by Step
RECALL:
The terms of a polynomial are separated by either an addition or a subtraction operation.
Thus, the given polynomial has four terms, namely:
$-2x^5$, $7$, $-3x^2$, and $x$
(a) The degree of a term is equal to the sum of the exponents of its variables.
The degree of each term is:
$-2x^5$: degree = 5
$\\7$: degree = 0
$\\-3x^2$: degree = 2
$\\x$: degree = 1
(b) The leading term of a polynomial is the term with the highest degree.
The term with the highest degree is $-2x^5$.
Thus, the leading term of the polynomial is $-2x^5$.
The leading coefficient is $-2$.
(c) The degree of a polynomial is equal to the degree of the leading term.
Thus, the degree of the polynomial is $5$.
