The degree of a polynomial is the most number of 
variables multiplied together in any of the terms:



means



The first term has 3 variables multiplied together.
The second term has 8 variables multiplied together.
The third term has 4 variables multiplied together.

The largest of those is 8.
So the degree of the polynomial is 8.

[A short way to count the number of variables multiplied
toghether in a term is to just to add the exponents of 
the variables in that term.]

Edwin