Enter the degree of the polynomial

5x5 + 8x2 + 2x - 3x9 - 8x4 - 4x5

The degree of a polynomial is the highest degree of any term.

The degree of a term is the sum of the exponents of all the variables of the term,. A plain variable has degree 1.

One term is - 3x^9.

That has the largest exponent of any term, so the degree is 9.