Order of Operations

Summary
This lesson informs students of the proper order of mathematical operations.

Objectives
• To be able to list the correct order of mathematical operations.

• To be able to solve mathematical problems that use different types of operations.

Suggested Grades
5th Grade
6th Grade
7th Grade

Excerpt
There are times when you will need to perform several different mathematical operations in order to get the correct answer. In other words, you will not always be given just a series of numbers to add or just a series of numbers to multiply. Most of the time, math problems will require a mixture of operations. When you have a problem that involves a combination of mathematical functions, it is important that you perform each operation in the correct order.

There is a very simple order of operations for all mathematical problems:

1. First, perform all calculations that are in parentheses.
2. Next, perform all multiplication and division, working from left to right.
3. Lastly, perform all addition and subtraction, working from left to right.

Continued...