Print this chapterPrint this chapter

Solving Simple Equations

Order of Operations

Remember, when you solve an equation it’s important to do each operation in the following order:

  1. Simplify inside parentheses and brackets.
  2. Simplify the exponent.
  3. Multiply and divide from left to right.
  4. Add and subtract from left to right.

In this course you will not use exponents, but you will need to remember the order of the other steps. So, in solving the following equation, you multiply first, then add:

\displaystyle \begin{array}{l}y=9+3\times10\\y=9+30\\y=39\end{array}