Order of Operations

Front

What is the Order of Operations?

Back

The Order of Operations is a set of rules that determines the sequence in which calculations are performed in a mathematical expression. The common acronym to remember the order is PEMDAS: Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication and Division (from left to right), Addition and Subtraction (from left to right).

Front

What does 'Parentheses' mean in the Order of Operations?

Back

Parentheses are used to indicate which operations should be performed first in an expression. For example, in the expression (3 + 2) × 5, the addition inside the parentheses is done before the multiplication.

Front

What does 'Exponents' mean in the Order of Operations?

Back

Exponents indicate how many times a number (the base) is multiplied by itself. For example, in the expression 2^3, 2 is multiplied by itself 3 times: 2 × 2 × 2 = 8.

Front

How do you handle Multiplication and Division in the Order of Operations?

Back

Multiplication and Division are performed from left to right. This means if you have an expression like 8 ÷ 2 × 4, you would first divide 8 by 2 to get 4, and then multiply by 4 to get 16.

Front

How do you handle Addition and Subtraction in the Order of Operations?

Back

Addition and Subtraction are also performed from left to right. For example, in the expression 10 - 3 + 2, you would first subtract 3 from 10 to get 7, and then add 2 to get 9.

Front

What is the value of the expression 9 + (12 - 10)?

Back

The value is 11. First, calculate the expression in parentheses: 12 - 10 = 2, then add 9: 9 + 2 = 11.

Front

What is the value of the expression 7 + 8 - 2?

Back

The value is 13. First, add 7 and 8 to get 15, then subtract 2: 15 - 2 = 13.

Front

Write an expression to show the total amount paid for 3 cans of tennis balls at $4 each with $0.95 sales tax.

Back

The expression is 3 × 4 + 0.95.

Front

If Sam bought two CDs for $13 each and paid $3 in sales tax, how much did he pay in total?

Back

Sam paid $29. The calculation is (2 × 13) + 3 = 26 + 3 = 29.

Front

What is the first step in solving the expression 5 + 3 × 2?

Back

The first step is to perform the multiplication: 3 × 2 = 6, then add 5: 5 + 6 = 11.