What is the coefficient in the term 7xy?

• A. 7
• B. x
• C. y
• D. xy

Answer: (A)

A coefficient is a numerical factor that multiplies a variable or a product of variables in a term. In the term 7xy, the number 7 is the factor that is multiplying the variables x and y together.

To understand why 7 is identified as the coefficient, we can rearrange the term to emphasize its structure: 7xy can be thought of as 7 times (x times y). The 7 is what scales the value of the product of the variables x and y.

Other elements in the term serve different roles. The variables x and y represent the unknown quantities being multiplied, but they do not qualify as coefficients themselves. Therefore, 7 is correctly identified as the coefficient in the term.