Final answer:
When you multiply two polynomials, the degree of the product is the sum of the degrees of the two polynomials.
Step-by-step explanation:
When you multiply two polynomials, you multiply each term of one polynomial by each term of the other polynomial. The degree of a term in the product is the sum of the degrees of the terms in the original polynomials that were multiplied.
For example, if you multiply a quadratic polynomial (degree 2) by another quadratic polynomial, the resulting product will have a degree of 4 because 2 + 2 = 4. Similarly, if you multiply a cubic polynomial (degree 3) by a linear polynomial (degree 1), the resulting product will have a degree of 4 because 3 + 1 = 4.
Therefore, when you multiply two polynomials, the degree of the product is the sum of the degrees of the two polynomials.