Mathematics
What is The order of operations?
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.
See it, don’t just read it.
Watch a 2-minute lesson with voice + animation that explains the order of operations.
Key things to understand
- 1Brackets/Parentheses first.
- 2Then Orders/Exponents (powers and roots).
- 3Then Division and Multiplication (left to right).
- 4Then Addition and Subtraction (left to right).
Frequently asked questions
- 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.