What is a leading function?

In the study of mathematics, a leading function refers to the term in a polynomial expression that contains the highest degree of the variable. This term is labeled as the leading term, and it is the term that dominates the behavior of the polynomial as the value of the variable increases or decreases. For instance, in the polynomial expression y = 3x^3 + 2x^2 + x + 1, the leading term is 3x^3 as it has the highest power of x. The leading function is an essential concept in calculus and it helps to determine the end behavior of a polynomial and how it approaches positive or negative infinity.

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