In this worksheet, we will learn how putting brackets in different places gives different answers.
Remember that with a string of operations, they must be done in the following order:
Brackets
Powers or indices
Multiplication and division
Adding and subtracting
Remember BIDMAS
Example
3 + 5 × 6 - 2 × 3 + 4
= 3 + 30 - 6 + 4 (multiplying first)
= 31 (adding and subtracting from left to right)
If we put brackets in different places, we will get a different answer.
(3 + 5) × 6 - 2 × (3 + 4)
= 8 × 6 - 2 × 7 (brackets first)
= 48 - 14 (multiplying next)
= 34 (subtracting)