Which statement correctly describes a coefficient?

• A. It is the number in front of a variable, such as the 2 in 2x
• B. It is the exponent of a variable
• C. It is the constant term
• D. It is the product of a variable and a digit

Answer: (A)

A coefficient is the number that multiplies a variable in a term. In the expression 2x, the variable is x and the number in front, 2, multiplies it, so 2 is the coefficient. Coefficients can be positive or negative and may be fractions or decimals (for example, -5y or 0.25z). The exponent is a different idea and shows how many times the variable is used, not the multiplier. The constant term has no variable, so it doesn’t have a coefficient in the usual sense. The notion of a product of a variable and a digit is related, since that digit acts as the coefficient, the essential point being the numeric factor in front of the variable that scales it.