Math

Misusing the Order of Operations

Students solve 6+2×36 + 2 \times 3 from left to right and get 2424.

Quick check

Why students make it

Left-to-right reading feels natural, so students may think every operation should be done in the order it appears. They may also remember PEMDAS as a list and miss that multiplication and division share one level.

The rule done right

Do grouping symbols first, then exponents, then multiplication and division from left to right, then addition and subtraction from left to right. Multiplication does not always come before division, and addition does not always come before subtraction.

Related resources

order-of-operationsarithmeticexpressions