In PEMDAS, which operation is performed first when evaluating an expression?

In PEMDAS, which operation is performed first when evaluating an expression?

• A. Parentheses
• B. Exponents
• C. Multiplication
• D. Addition

Answer: (A)

Parentheses determine what gets evaluated first in order of operations. They group part of the expression so that that group is addressed before anything outside it. If there are nested parentheses, you work from the inside out, solving the innermost expression first, then move outward. After you’ve resolved what's inside the parentheses, you proceed with exponents, then multiplication and division from left to right, and finally addition and subtraction from left to right. So the very first operation is the calculation inside the parentheses. For example, in (3 + 5)^2 you first do the addition inside the parentheses to get 8, then apply the exponent to obtain 64. If there are no parentheses, you’d bring exponents to the front, but with parentheses present, they come first.

Parentheses determine what gets evaluated first in order of operations. They group part of the expression so that that group is addressed before anything outside it. If there are nested parentheses, you work from the inside out, solving the innermost expression first, then move outward. After you’ve resolved what's inside the parentheses, you proceed with exponents, then multiplication and division from left to right, and finally addition and subtraction from left to right. So the very first operation is the calculation inside the parentheses. For example, in (3 + 5)^2 you first do the addition inside the parentheses to get 8, then apply the exponent to obtain 64. If there are no parentheses, you’d bring exponents to the front, but with parentheses present, they come first.