Final answer:
The leading coefficient of the polynomial is 176, which is the coefficient of the term with the highest degree x⁵.
Step-by-step explanation:
The leading coefficient of a polynomial is the coefficient of the term with the highest degree. In the polynomial given, which is 3x⁵ + 2x⁴ - x² + 173x⁵ + 2x⁴ - x² + 17, we first combine like terms. This results in 176x⁵ + 4x⁴ - 2x² + 17. Therefore, the leading coefficient is 176, as it is the coefficient of the term with the highest power of x, which is x⁵.
The leading coefficient of the given expression is the coefficient of the term with the highest degree. In this case, we have:
3x⁵+2x⁴-x²+173x⁵+2x⁴-x²+17
The terms with the highest degree are 3x⁵ and 173x⁵. The coefficients of these terms are 3 and 173, respectively. Therefore, the leading coefficient is 173.