Question

question 8
what is the leading coefficient of the polynomial f(x) defined below?
f(x) = -7x^4 + x^5 - 4x^2 + 9x
answer attempt 1 out of 2
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time remaining: 115 mins

Explanation:

Step1: Identify the leading term

The leading term of a polynomial is the term with the highest degree. For \( f(x) = -7x^4 + x^5 - 4x^2 + 9x \), the degrees of the terms are 4, 5, 2, and 1. The highest degree is 5, so the leading term is \( x^5 \).

Step2: Determine the leading coefficient

The leading coefficient is the coefficient of the leading term. For the term \( x^5 \), the coefficient (when no number is written in front of the variable with exponent) is 1 (since \( x^5 = 1 \cdot x^5 \)).

Answer:

1