When a question asks you to display something as a constant or coefficient, what does it mean?

Answer 1

A coefficient is a number in front of a variable (a letter).

A constant is a number.

For example in the polynomial

3x⁴-12x²+16

The coefficients are 3 and -12

The constant is 16

You may also be asked about the degree of polynomials. That is the highest exponent. In this case the degree is 4.

The leading coefficient is the coefficient on the term with the largest exponent in this case the leading coefficient would be 3.

Answer 2

A coefficient is the number before a variable in a term, and the constant is a number by itself as a term.

23x - 14

23 is the coefficient, x is the variable, and -14 is the constant.