Order Of Operations - 4 Examples

🔑 Key Concepts

  • Evaluate expressions by following the correct order of operations: parentheses, exponents, multiplication and division from left to right, then addition and subtraction from left to right.
  • Always simplify inside grouping symbols before moving on to the rest of the expression.
  • Multiplication and division have the same priority, so work from left to right.
  • Addition and subtraction also have the same priority, so work from left to right.
  • Order of operations still applies when expressions include decimals or multiple grouped parts.

✏️ Worked Examples - Order of Operations

🧠 Math Vocabulary

  • Order of operations: The set of rules used to decide which operation to do first in an expression.
  • Grouping symbols: Symbols such as parentheses that tell you to simplify part of an expression first.
  • Exponent: A number that tells how many times a base is multiplied by itself.
  • Expression: A math phrase made of numbers, operation symbols, and sometimes grouping symbols, but no equal sign.
  • Evaluate: To find the value of an expression.

💡 Main Idea

Order of operations helps us evaluate expressions correctly by giving a clear sequence to follow. In this lesson, students practice simplifying expressions with parentheses, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction. The video also reinforces the idea that multiplication and division are handled from left to right, and addition and subtraction are also handled from left to right.

📚 What You Should Already Know

Before working on this lesson, students should be comfortable with basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts. They should also recognize parentheses in an expression and understand how to calculate simple powers such as squared numbers.

🚀 What Comes Next

After learning the order of operations with numerical expressions, students can move on to writing and evaluating algebraic expressions, comparing similar expressions that produce different results, and solving real-world problems that involve multiple operations and grouping symbols.

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