document.write( "Question 541273: State the degree of the following polynomial: -6x²y + 4xy – 7y how would i go about solving this \n" ); document.write( "
Algebra.Com's Answer #354131 by AnlytcPhil(1806)\"\" \"About 
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document.write( " -6x²y + 4xy – 7y\r\n" );
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document.write( "Get rid of the exponents by writing the square x² as the product\r\n" );
document.write( "of x and x.\r\n" );
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document.write( "-6xxy + 4xy - 7y\r\n" );
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document.write( "Now count the number of letters multiplied by the coefficient in \r\n" );
document.write( "each of the three terms:\r\n" );
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document.write( "-6xxy  has a row of 3 letters multiplied by the coefficient -6,\r\n" );
document.write( "so that term has degree 3.\r\n" );
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document.write( "+4xy  has a row of 2 letters multiplied by the coefficient +4,\r\n" );
document.write( "so that term has degree 2.\r\n" );
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document.write( "-7y has just one letter multiplied by the coefficient -7, \r\n" );
document.write( "so that term has degree 1.\r\n" );
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document.write( "Now whichever term has the largest degree, we take that to \r\n" );
document.write( "be the degree of the ENTIRE polynomial.  So since the first \r\n" );
document.write( "term has the largest degree, which is 3, the whole polynomial \r\n" );
document.write( "has that same degree, which is 3.\r\n" );
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document.write( "In a nutshell, the degree of a polynomial is the most number \r\n" );
document.write( "of letters multiplied together by the coefficient in any of its \r\n" );
document.write( "terms.  An exponent is considered to be a string of the same \r\n" );
document.write( "letter repeated to be multiplied the same number of times as the \r\n" );
document.write( "exponent.  \r\n" );
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document.write( "The longest string of letters in any of the three terms is 3,\r\n" );
document.write( "so the polynomial, which is called a \"trinomial\" because it \r\n" );
document.write( "has three terms, has degree 3.\r\n" );
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document.write( "But don't get those mixed up just because they're both 3.  It's\r\n" );
document.write( "a trinomial because it has three terms, but it has degree 3 \r\n" );
document.write( "because the first term has the most number of letters \r\n" );
document.write( "multiplied together by the coefficient, which is 3 letters.\r\n" );
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document.write( "Edwin
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