Final answer:
The degree of a polynomial for a curve that passes through nine unique points is 8, as the degree is one less than the number of points.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks for the degree of a polynomial that might pass through the given points: (−2, 968), (−1, 422), (0, 142), (1, 26), (2, −4), (3, −2), (4, 2), (5, 2), (6, 16).
To determine the degree, we need to understand that the degree of a polynomial is one less than the number of unique points it passes through, assuming those points come from the polynomial's graph. Therefore, considering there are nine unique points, the degree of the polynomial would be 8.