A polynomial is represented as [tex]\mathbf{ax^n + bx^{n-1} + cx^{n-2} + .... + d}[/tex]
The leading coefficient of the polynomial is "a"
The leading coefficient of a polynomial is simply the coefficient of the variable with the highest power.
Take for instance:
[tex]\mathbf{2x^3 + 4x^2 + 5x - 6}[/tex]
In the above polynomial,
- The highest power is 3
- The variable is x
- The coefficient of x is 2, when the highest power is 3
This means that, the leading coefficient is 2
Another instance:
[tex]\mathbf{-6y^5 + 2y^4 + 19y^3 - y^2 -17y + 1}[/tex]
In the above polynomial,
- The highest power is 5
- The variable is y
- The coefficient of y is -6, when the highest power is 5
This means that, the leading coefficient is -6
In general,
The leading coefficient of the polynomial [tex]\mathbf{ax^n + bx^{n-1} + cx^{n-2} + .... + d}[/tex] is "a"
Read more about leading coefficients at:
https://brainly.com/question/15323309