Order of operations
You learn the order to work in when there is more than one operation in a calculation.
How to work it out
- First work out what is in the brackets.
- Then the squares, like 4² = 4 × 4.
- Then times and divide, from left to right.
- Finally plus and minus, from left to right.
14 × 3 = 1228 + 12 = 20
8 + 4 × 3
- Look at which operations there are: addition and multiplication.
- Do the multiplication first: 4 × 3 = 12.
- Then do the addition: 8 + 12 = 20.
- So 8 + 4 × 3 = 20.
More examples
(8 + 4) × 3
- Do the brackets first: 8 + 4 = 12.
- Then multiply: 12 × 3 = 36.
1Eerst de haakjes: 8 + 4 = 12212 × 3 = 36
3 × 5² − 20
- Do the power first: 5² is 5 × 5 = 25.
- Then multiply: 3 × 25 = 75.
- Last of all, subtract: 75 − 20 = 55.
15² = 5 × 5 = 2523 × 25 − 20 = 55
20 − 6 ÷ 2
- Do the division first: 6 ÷ 2 = 3.
- Then subtract: 20 − 3 = 17.