Question

Is the leading coefficient 0 or 1? x^3 - 5x - 12

Answer 1

Answer:

$1$

Step-by-step explanation:

The coefficient of a polynomial expression is the coefficient of the term with the highest exponent. We can see that the term with the highest exponent is $x^3$. So, the leading coefficient is its coefficient which is $1$.

Note that any number can be written as the product of that number and $1$ as multiplying by $1$ does not fundamentally change that number. In our given example, $x^3$ is equivalent to $1x^3$.