McGraw Hill Integrated II, 2012
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McGraw Hill Integrated II, 2012 View details
1. Adding and Subtracting Polynomials
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Exercise 26 Page 10

The standard form of a polynomial arranges the terms by degree, in descending order. The coefficient of the first term of the polynomial in this form is called the leading coefficient.

Standard Form: 5x^2+3x-2
Leading Coefficient: 5

Practice makes perfect
The standard form of a polynomial arranges the terms by degree in descending numerical order.
5x^2-2+3x
5x^2+3x-2
We want to find the leading coefficient of the polynomial. When written in standard form, the leading coefficient is the coefficient of the first term. 5x^2+3x-2 The leading coefficient of the polynomial is 5.