In a linear equation, what is the maximum power of the variable allowed?

In a linear equation, the defining characteristic is that the variable is raised only to the first power. This means the equations can be expressed in the form ax + b = 0, where "a" and "b" are constants, and "x" is the variable. The presence of the variable raised to the power of one indicates that we are dealing with a linear relationship.

Any equation that contains the variable at powers higher than one, such as squared or cubed terms, would classify it as a quadratic or higher-degree polynomial, rather than linear. Thus, the only acceptable power of the variable in a true linear equation is one, which is why the correct response identifies that maximum power as 1.