What is the degree of the polynomial 5x^2 + 8x + 1?

• A. 0
• B. 1
• C. 2
• D. 3

Answer: (C)

Degree is the largest exponent of the variable that appears with a nonzero coefficient. In 5x^2 + 8x + 1, the terms are x^2, x, and a constant. The x^2 term has the highest exponent, 2, and its coefficient is nonzero, so the polynomial’s degree is 2. The other terms have smaller exponents (1 and 0) and don’t change the degree.