91Ó°ÊÓ

Look at the polynomial function and identify the term with the highest power of the variable. The exponent associated with this term is known as the degree of the polynomial. This degree can be either even or odd.

The coefficient of the term with the highest degree identified in Step 1 is the leading coefficient. This value can be either positive or negative.

Now, using both the degree of the polynomial (even/odd) and the sign of the leading coefficient (positive/negative), apply the Leading Coefficient Test as follows: 1. If the degree is even, and the leading coefficient is positive, the end behavior of the function is (\( y \to \infty \) as \( x \to \infty \)) and (\( y \to \infty \) as \( x \to -\infty \)).2. If the degree is even, but the leading coefficient is negative, the end behavior of the function is (\( y \to -\infty \) as \( x \to \infty \)) and (\( y \to -\infty \) as \( x \to -\infty \)).3. If the degree is odd, and the leading coefficient is positive, then the end behavior of the function is (\( y \to -\infty \) as \( x \to -\infty \)) and (\( y \to \infty \) as \( x \to \infty \)).4. For odd-degree functions, if the leading coefficient is negative, the end behavior of the function is (\( y \to \infty \) as \( x \to -\infty \)) and (\( y \to -\infty \) as \( x \to \infty \)).