Question

What is the leading coefficient of this polynomial?


`f(x)=3x^2-0.2x^5+7x^3`

Answer 1

The leading coefficient is the number in front of the variable with the highest degree(exponent)

The highest degree (exponent) is 5, so the leading coefficient = -0.2

Answer 2

The leading coefficient of the given polynomial is -0.2

Step-by-step explanation

The given polynomial function is

`f(x)=3x^2-0.2x^5+7x^3`

We rewrite in standard form to obtain,

`f(x)=-0.2x^5+7x^3+3x^2`

Note that writing in standard form means writing in descending powers of x.

The coefficient of the leading term is -0.2.