College

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

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

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

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

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

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

Answer :

Sure, let's organize the polynomial in the correct order:


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

To write a polynomial in descending order, you need to arrange the terms starting from the highest power (exponent) of [tex]\(x\)[/tex] to the lowest.

Here's how you do it:

1. Identify the exponents: Look at each term and note the power of [tex]\(x\)[/tex].
- [tex]\(3x^3\)[/tex] has an exponent of 3.
- [tex]\(9x^7\)[/tex] has an exponent of 7.
- [tex]\(-x\)[/tex] is equivalent to [tex]\(-1x^1\)[/tex], so it has an exponent of 1.
- [tex]\(4x^{12}\)[/tex] has an exponent of 12.

2. Arrange in descending order: Now, sort these terms based on the exponent from the highest to the lowest:
- Highest to lowest powers are [tex]\(12\)[/tex], [tex]\(7\)[/tex], [tex]\(3\)[/tex], and [tex]\(1\)[/tex].

3. Write the polynomial in descending order:
[tex]\[ 4x^{12} + 9x^7 + 3x^3 - x \][/tex]

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

This matches option C.

So, the correct answer is C.