What are the Order of Operations? (Video & Practice Questions)
Imagine you’re getting ready for a walk. You grab your shoes and socks and head to the couch. Which do you put on first: shoes or socks? Of course, it’s your socks. That’s the correct order.Now, imagine two friends attempting to simplify this expression: \(28 – 3 × 5 + 10\). The first friend simplifies the expression to 23, and the second friend simplifies the expression to 135. Who is right? The first friend. They remembered to use the order of operations. The second friend “tried to put the shoes on first,” meaning they computed the first operation they came across, giving them an incorrect result. Just like prepping for your walk, simplifying expressions requires a set order, also known as the order of operations.PEMDAS Meaning Many people use the acronym PEMDAS to help remember the order of operations. PEMDAS stands for “Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, and Subtraction.” The acronym also helps to remember that we start simplifying the expression from left...