Question 643501
<pre>
To find the degree, write it without exponents, like this:

3x<sup>3</sup>y<sup>4</sup> + 5x<sup>2</sup>y<sup>3</sup> - 4xy<sup>3</sup>

3xxxyyyy + 5xxyyy - 4xyyy

The degree is the number of letters in the longest string of letters
multiplied together.  The first term has 7 letters multiplied together,
xxxyyyy, 5 letters xxyyy are multiplied together in the 2nd term, and 
4 letters xyyy in the third term, so the degree of the polynomial is the
length of the longest string of variables multiplied together, which is 7.

[Instead of stringing the variables out you can just add the exponents.]

Edwin</pre>