What are mixed operations?
Mixed operations means one number sentence has more than one operation, like + and × together. To get the right answer we must follow the correct order, not just work from left to right.
Key idea / 要点
1) Do anything in brackets ( ) first. 2) Then do × and ÷. 3) Last, do + and −. When operations are equal, work from left to right.
Order in action
Multiply or divide before you add or subtract. If you forget the order and just go left to right, you will often get the wrong answer, so always check for × and ÷ first.
Worked example / 例题
Work out 2 + 3 × 4. Do the multiplication first: 3 × 4 = 12. Then add: 2 + 12 = 14. Working left to right would give the wrong answer, 20.
Remember / 记住
- Brackets first, always.
- × and ÷ before + and −.
- Equal operations: left to right.