| Order
of Operations
When you are finding the value of a numerical expression, the order that
you do the operations is important.
For example: What is the
value of this numerical expression? 6
+ 7 * 2 = ???
You could get two different answers depending on the order you figure
it out:
Answer 1: 6 + 7 = 13 times 2 equals 26
Answer 2: 7 time 2 is 14 plus 6 equals
20
So which answer is correct???? If you chose answer 2 you picked the
right answer.
So you see from this example that it is important to do different operations
in a certain order so that everyone can get the same answer. To avoid
any confusion there is a set of rules that need to be followed when finding
solutions to numerical expressions.
In general, the rules for order of operations
are as follows:
| Parentheses
- perform operations that are in parentheses first, working from
the inside out. Exponents
- evaluate all powers Multiplication
and Division
- multiply and divide from left to right Addition
and Subtraction
- add and subtract from left to right |
In order to help you remember the order of operations the saying that
is made from the first letters of each step. Go
to Math Goodies for a simple explanation of Order of Operations.
" Please
Excuse
My Dear
Aunt Sally"
Learning
and Practicing Order of Operations
|
