How To: Use the order of operations in algebra

Are you looking for a simple math explanation on order of operations? Remember the following sentence: "Please excuse my dear aunt Sally." What does this sentence have to do with math? The first letter of each word stands for an operation. "P" stands for parenthesis, "E" for exponents, "M" for multiplication, "D" for division, "A" for addition, and "S" stands for subtraction.

When you want to evaluate an expression, perform the operations in the following order:

1) Parenthesis

2) Exponents

3) Multiplication and/or Division (from left to right)

4) Addition and/or Subtraction (from left to right)

Watch the above video to see how I apply the correct order of operations.