1. The leading coefficient of a polynomial is the coefficient of the term with the highest degree (the term with the largest exponent). 2. For example, in the polynomial $$5x^3 - 2x^2 + 7x - 4$$, the term with the highest degree is $$5x^3$$, so the leading coefficient is 5. 3. The leading coefficient tells us how the polynomial behaves for very large or very small values of $$x$$. 4. It is always the coefficient of the term with the largest exponent in the polynomial when the polynomial is written in standard form (terms written in descending order of powers).