Raj writes a polynomial expression in standard form using one variable, a, that has 4 terms and is degree 5. Nicole writes a polynomial expression in standard form using one variable, a, that has 3 terms and is degree 2.

Raj and Nicole’s polynomial expressions are added to create a sum, written in standard form.

What can you determine about the degree of the sum?

The sum will be degree
.

What can you determine about the number of terms of the sum?

The maximum number of terms of the sum is
, but it could be less.