Degree
A degree is the highest power found in a polynomial.
Explanation
Algebraic equations in one variable x are classified according to the highest power of x contained therein. This power is called the degree of the equation. Commonly the equation
anxn + an−1xn−1 + ··· + a2x2 + a1x + a0 = 0
with an ≠ 0 is called an n-th degree equation. So this is actually an exponent.
Example 1
The general form of a second-degree equation is written as