Find the Degree, Leading Term, and Leading Coefficient 3x-4x^2-12

$3 x - 4 x^{2} - 12$

Step 1

Reorder $3 x$ and $- 4 x^{2}$ .

$- 4 x^{2} + 3 x - 12$

Step 2

The degree of a polynomial is the highest degree of its terms.

Identify the exponents on the variables in each term, and add them together to find the degree of each term.

$- 4 x^{2} \to 2$

$3 x \to 1$

$- 12 \to 0$

The largest exponent is the degree of the polynomial.

$2$

Step 3

The leading term in a polynomial is the term with the highest degree.

$- 4 x^{2}$

Step 4

The leading coefficient of a polynomial is the coefficient of the leading term.

The leading term in a polynomial is the term with the highest degree.

$- 4 x^{2}$

The leading coefficient in a polynomial is the coefficient of the leading term.

$- 4$

Step 5

List the results.

Polynomial Degree: $2$

Leading Term: $- 4 x^{2}$

Leading Coefficient: $- 4$