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What is the order of operations (BODMAS/PEMDAS)?

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Quick answer

The order of operations is the agreed sequence for solving a math expression so everyone gets the same answer: brackets first, then exponents, then multiplication/division, then addition/subtraction. It's remembered as BODMAS or PEMDAS. Brackets/Parentheses first. Then Orders/Exponents (powers and roots).

Key things to understand

  1. Brackets/Parentheses first.
  2. Then Orders/Exponents (powers and roots).
  3. Then Division and Multiplication (left to right).
  4. Then Addition and Subtraction (left to right).

People also ask

What does BODMAS/PEMDAS stand for?
Brackets/Parentheses, Orders/Exponents, Division/Multiplication, Addition/Subtraction — the order to compute in.
Why do we need an order of operations?
So a single expression has one correct answer everyone agrees on, not different results.
Do multiplication and division come in a fixed order?
No — you do them left to right as they appear, and the same for addition and subtraction.