Please see the updated post on September 1, 2009. with much more information available for students and teachers. The quiz is listed on September 11, 2009. To do this just click the date on the calendar shown in the top right hand column. Thanks.
p. Red 24-27; Blue 14-17; Green 12-16
Math problems that involve more than one operation (+, –, × , ÷) must be solved in the same order by everyone in the world; or else, it’s possible to obtain several different answers for the same problem.
Mathematicians around the world agreed to ALWAYS solve EVERY math problem in the following order, known as “The Order of Operations.”
1. First, every problem (and each step in a problem) must be solved from left to right, just like you read a sentence in English.
If more than one set of brackets or parenthesis, exponents, multiplication or division signs, addition or subtraction signs are present; follow the order of operations, and solve the operation that is to the left, first, each time.
2. Second, solve everything inside outside brackets first [ ].
3. Third, solve everything inside parenthesis next ( ).
4. Fourth, solve exponents next. Exponents look like this 3 4. This means multiply 3 by itself 4 times (3 × 3 × 3 × 3)
5. Fifth, solve all of the multiplication and division problems next, in the order they appear from left to right. (With fractions-multiply the numerator (top number) and divide the denominator (bottom number).
6. Sixth, solve all of the addition and subtraction problems next, in the order they appear from left to right.
Here is a well known mnemonic (saying to help you remember):
Please excuse my dear Aunt Sally.
The initial letter of each word can also stand for what you are supposed to do in the order it should be done.
parenthesis
exponents
multiplication and/or division
addition and/or subtraction
Slide presentation credit: renegarmath
