To simplify exterior angles in a polygon, the sum of the exterior angles is always 360 degrees. The relationship between an exterior angle and its adjacent interior angle is that they are supplementary, meaning they add up to 180 degrees. In the example provided, the exterior angle x can be found by recognizing that it complements the adjacent angle of 100 degrees. The calculation shows that x equals 80 degrees, confirming the relationship between the angles. Using straightforward relationships between angles simplifies the process significantly.