Problem
What is the degree of the polynomial \(3x^4 - 2x^3 + x^2 - 5x + 7\)?
Solution
Step 1 ：In a polynomial, the degree is determined by the highest power of the variable. In this case, we need to identify the term with the highest power of \(x\).
Step 2 ：The terms of the polynomial are \(3x^4\), \(-2x^3\), \(x^2\), \(-5x\), and \(7\). Among these, \(3x^4\) has the highest power of \(x\), which is 4.
Step 3 ：Therefore, the degree of the polynomial \(3x^4 - 2x^3 + x^2 - 5x + 7\) is 4.
