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Definition

Degree of a Polynomial

The degree of a polynomial is the highest degree among all of its individual terms. To find it, first determine the degree of each term by summing the exponents of its variables, then select the greatest value. For example, in the trinomial 6m4m3n2+8mn56m^4 - m^3n^2 + 8mn^5, the three terms have degrees 44, 55, and 66 respectively, so the degree of the polynomial is 66. Similarly, 4x4+x3+8x29x+14x^4 + x^3 + 8x^2 - 9x + 1 has term degrees 44, 33, 22, 11, and 00, making the polynomial's degree 44.

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Updated 2026-05-12

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