Is the leading coefficient 0 or 1?

x^3 - 5x - 12

Step-by-step explanation:

The coefficient of a polynomial expression is the coefficient of the term with the highest exponent. We can see that the term with the highest exponent is . So, the leading coefficient is its coefficient which is .

Note that any number can be written as the product of that number and as multiplying by does not fundamentally change that number. In our given example, is equivalent to .