High School

Which of the following shows the polynomial below written in descending order?

[tex]3x^3 + 9x^7 - x + 4x^{12}[/tex]

A. [tex]3x^3 + 4x^{12} + 9x^7 - x[/tex]

B. [tex]4x^{12} + 3x^3 - x + 9x^7[/tex]

C. [tex]4x^{12} + 9x^7 + 3x^3 - x[/tex]

D. [tex]9x^7 + 4x^{12} + 3x^3 - x[/tex]

Answer :

Sure! Let's write the polynomial in descending order of the exponents (powers) of [tex]\(x\)[/tex].

The polynomial given is:
[tex]\[ 3x^3 + 9x^7 - x + 4x^{12} \][/tex]

To arrange the terms in descending order:

1. Identify the degree of each term:
- [tex]\(4x^{12}\)[/tex] has a degree of 12.
- [tex]\(9x^7\)[/tex] has a degree of 7.
- [tex]\(3x^3\)[/tex] has a degree of 3.
- [tex]\(-x\)[/tex] is equivalent to [tex]\(-1x^1\)[/tex], with a degree of 1.

2. List the terms from highest to lowest degree:
- Start with the highest degree, which is 12: [tex]\(4x^{12}\)[/tex].
- Next, the degree is 7: [tex]\(9x^7\)[/tex].
- Then, the degree is 3: [tex]\(3x^3\)[/tex].
- Finally, the degree is 1: [tex]\(-x\)[/tex].

Putting it all together, the polynomial written in descending order is:
[tex]\[ 4x^{12} + 9x^7 + 3x^3 - x \][/tex]

This matches option C. So, the correct answer is C.