Question

State the degree:

rst+r²s²+r³s²

Answer 1

Is it a function of r, s, or t?

Answer 2

For each monomial, add the exponents


For rst, the exponents are 1, 1, and 1. So add them to get 1+1+1=3


For r²s², the exponents are 2 and 2. So add them to get 2+2=4


For r³s², the exponents are 3 and 2. So add them to get 3+2=5


The degree is equal to the largest sum of exponents.


So the degree of the polynomial is 5.